


The Arcana Scenario Collection

by Rhombea



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Count Lucio - Freeform, Ilya Devorak, JULIAN - Freeform, Multi, Nadia Satrinava - Freeform, asra - Freeform, ilya - Freeform, the arcana - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2019-10-04 09:05:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 42
Words: 39,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17301791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhombea/pseuds/Rhombea
Summary: A collection of my works from thecardsimagine.tumblr.com !Feel free to request new writing over there or via comments on this story too!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on following request on tumblr:  
> Maybe a scenario for Asra freaking out because s/o is nowhere to be found? And magic doesn’t help either. Something angsty with a good ending would be nice ^^”

Even in his dreams, there was no salvation for Asra. The heat radiating from the flames engulfed him. Fire brushed over his face, licked his exposed arms. His ears were ringing with the cries of the people around him. No matter how much he looked around him, there was nothing but destruction, buildings burning and collapsing right next to him. The crashing of wood against the floor maybe bones breaking too.

He felt sick to his stomach, knowing very well that it was just a dream. A nightmare, haunting him for things he tried to forget for so long now. And yet, he felt trapped in his own imagination, the heat, smell, and sound of death making him want to run and cry. Just like he had left you before, when the plague had spread through Vesuvia, eventually taking you too. Something he could never forgive and his mind would never let him forget.

With a loud gasp, his eyes flew open. Even through the moment of dizziness after sleeping, he could quickly make out the ceiling of his shop, an all too familiar sight. Pearls of sweat grazed his temples on their way down to the mattress. His breathing still felt heavy on his chest, the rest of his heart thumping loudly. He wasn’t able to collect himself right away, slowly tugging his limbs back together that were spread out on the bed.

Slowly the feeling in his fingers and toes returned, prompting him to sit up and inspect his skin. No burns, as far as he could make out. Nothing left from the fire in his mind, other than the vision in the back of his mind. For a moment, he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath through his nose. There was only the smell of the herbs, coming from downstairs, some tea from yesterday too.

It was okay, nothing was wrong. Everything was alright, except for…

Brushing his hand over your side of the bed, only coldness awaited him. A sign that you had been gone for a while, but it was so early. A glance out the window made it clear that the sun was only starting to rise, normally there was no way someone would get you out from under the blanket before midday. But where were you?

His stomach turning into a knot, Asra got out of the bed, stumbling forward to the teapot, touching it, making sure it really was still the same brew as yesterday. There was no sign of you at all, as he called out for you, tripping down the stairs into the shop, letting his magic spread over the furniture and wooden boards of the floor. Every bit of him was searching for you. His mind, his eyes, his magic. Even Faust made an appearance out of an old pot, flicking her tongue questioningly, asking where you were.

Asra kept stumbling forward, pushing back the curtains to the bedroom, but you weren’t there either. The cards were quiet too as if they knew better as to answer his call for help right now. As if they were trying to hide something. What if what he saw in his dream had just been a reminder of the reality. What if the time he thought the two of you spend together was the illusion. What if the Arcana tried to spare him of a reminder of his own failure.

Maybe his heart was complete.

“[Name]!” He kept calling for you in his mind and out loud. A slight echo went through the shop but there was no response. When he pulled open the door to the shop, Asra was hit with a cold wave of the morning breeze, the sea never making it easy to go out early. He didn’t even bother to put on shoes before he set out one foot outside the shop, the cold stone immediately feeling like needles under his soles.

Again he called, again there was no answer. He didn’t really care who got woken up bis his hoarse voice calling out for you over and over. Right in front of the doorstep, he turned, in the direction of the Lazaret, the only place he could think of after the dreams of his. Maybe it wasn’t too late to do something, maybe he could still turn something around.

 

His body crashing into yours made you yelp in surprise, falling backwards and hitting the stone with your behind. There was a short jolt of pain in your back, but you held on tightly to Asra who came flying down with you. For a few seconds, it was completely silent between you two, though you were the first one to regain your composure.

“Asra?” you asked, grabbing his shoulders and pushing him upwards. You came face to face with the magician, big, watery tears rolling down his cheek when his eyes fell upon you. Worried, you brushed your thumb over his eyes, giving him a questioning look before mouthing your feelings. “Did something happen? Are you okay?”

Instead of an answer, his expression contorted, showing both relieve as well as sadness as his body collapsed on top of yours, his arms almost painfully tight as they wrapped around you. You felt him mumble into your chest, though you couldn’t hear the words he was saying. Instead, you brought up one hand, tenderly brushing it over his hair, comforting him like a child. Even though you had no idea what was going on, you felt the immense pain that still lingered in him, and even though it was only an assumption you thought you might know what was going on inside that mind of his.

“It’s okay,” you mumbled, laying your head on top of his. “I won’t leave, Asra.”

And as if that was what he needed to hear from you, he tightened his grip even more, staying outside in the cold until the tears slowly died out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on the following request on tumblr:  
> Could I pretty please get an overly fluffy scenario where the reader and Asra have been together for a while and are just being super lovey dovey (like waking up together and kissing each other’s noses or holding hands whilst strolling through the market?) thank you! And sorry it’s so specific I’ve had this idea but with the gang following and making snide comments and gagging noises about the couple for so long now

The rays of the early sun lightened the room, but aside from you giggling, there wasn’t much other noise to be heard. Pulling the blanket over your mouth as if you were hiding, you peaked out from it at your boyfriend who smiled mischievously, his eyes still tired from the sleep he had just awoken from. “Look who’s up already,” he mumbled, stretching his arms upwards before rolling onto his side and pulling you close.

He tenderly let his nose brush over your face, bumping yours with his before giving you a sheepish smooch on the lips, lingering a while like this, letting your warmth caress him tenderly. “How long have you been up?” he asked, inspecting you with half-opened eyes, still very much in sleep mode. You shrugged, entangling your arms from the blanket to wrap them around his neck and sink into his chest.

“A while,” you admitted, feeling the sensation of his lips pressing little kisses on top of your hair. “But I didn’t want to wake you up. You looked so peaceful for once,” you explained, hearing a hum in response. “Thanks for looking out for me, [Name]. I had a wonderful dream in fact,” he purred, pulling you closer into his embrace.

“Was it about me?” you asked, giggling some more as you felt a bit of embarrassment rush through you. You found it a little haughty to assume that even his dreams must be about you, but the love between you two was still so fresh, it felt like a dream itself. There was another thoughtful hum, though you could hear the smile on his face. Even if you weren’t aware, he was just as giddy about you as you were about him.

“All my dreams are about you, [Name]. Every single one of them,” Laughing you pushed yourself away from him a bit so you could look up. The moment his gaze met yours, he leaned down, meeting you in a long, sensual kiss, before listening to what you had to say.

“I hope the will forever be good then.” Asra only laughed, kissing you again before replying, “I know they will.”

 

“And we need to get some eucalyptus!” you pointed out, voice a little louder so he’d hear you over the divider in your room. You heard him moving around, picking up various items you two needed for your expedition to the market and maybe the forest too, depending if you could find everything he needed for his magic.

“Noted. Will you need much longer?” he asked, and from the closeness of his voice you realized he was standing right in front of the divider. You felt a little embarrassed, having struggled with wrapping yourself in your own clothes. You hadn’t expected them to be so difficult to put on when you bought them and you had wanted to impress Asra with a new look. However, now you were just keeping him behind, even though he had lots to do that day.

“I’m sorry…” you mumbled. “Just having problems with that damn- Ouch!” The struggles with you tag in the back, being held by safety pin finally came to an end as you stung yourself with the metal, making you cry out from the moment of surprise. “[Name]?” Asra’s head immediately came into view from behind the divider, worry in his gaze, though his cheeks quickly flushed red and he turned away as he realized that he might not have looked at you while you were changing.

“I just poked myself,” you explained, trying to laugh it off and turning towards him, showing that it was alright for him to see you. “I am sorry for holding you back, Asra…” you whispered quietly, turning around to the mirror again, trying to fix the rest of your outfit. He was silent as he approached you from behind, putting his hands on your hips and looking at you in the mirror.

“You’re not holding me back, [Name],” he replied, keeping a serious expression on his face. A quick glance at your neck and he saw the tag, reaching upwards to take it out. “Here let me help,” he offered, pulling off the safety pin and placing it away on a cupboard. After that, he looked up in to mirror again, a sudden smile appearing on his mouth. “You look really beautiful,” he purred, leaning forward to kiss your exposed shoulder.

You enjoyed the affections from him, letting out a pleased sigh. He knew exactly how to ease your mind and make you feel loved. Instantly a warm feeling spread through your body. That was until another thoughtful hum escaped his mouth, his lips stopping to kiss your skin. “Maybe we should stay in bed today,” he suddenly suggested, giving you a concerned wrinkling of his forehead in the mirror. “Why that?” you laughed, finding the expression hilarious.

“You are just too pretty, what will I do if other people try to hit on you?” he asked, trying to be his most serious self, though you could see the flirty attitude behind his words. “Ah, you’ll just have to defend me,” you replied, turning around and wrapping your arms around his neck. “Like a knight. My magical knight.” Returning the affection, you kissed along the underside of his chin until his stern expression changed into a giddy laugh as he united the two of you in another hearty kiss.

 

“No, are you deaf? To the left I said, left! Does no one know how to put up a painting in this damn palace?”

The two of you could already hear Lucio’s booming voice, the moment you set foot out of your room in the palace that the two of you were residing in at the moment. You gave your boyfriend a pitying expression, knowing how much he hated to be in the presence of the count, and he gave you a dramatic roll of his eyes, followed by a sigh in return, before giggling with you about it.

Once you were in clear sight of the count, Asra’s grip on your hand strengthened, his gaze straightforward and already focused on a point behind Lucio. However, the moment he could see you, he did, turning around towards you with one of his signature wide grins, opening his arms for a greeting. “Asra! Perfect timing, can’t you do anything? Use your magic, my painting has to be perfectly hung here or Noddy will take it off again.”

Though against the expectations of the count, for Asra to stop and help, the magician just passed by, pulling you along quickly. “We’re terribly busy, Lucio,” he explained, hooking your arm demonstratively under his. “Come on, it’s not like she’d run in my arms the moment you let go of her, oh great magician!” Lucio sneered as he looked after the two of you.

Even though you didn’t expect him to be affected by that so much, you could feel the tension building in Asra, as he slowly came to a halt, turning only halfway back to Lucio. Just loud enough for the count to hear, Asra announced “That’s true, you are just too crooked for her taste. Like your painting,” before leaning down, kissing you sweetly. One last smirk towards Lucio before Asra tugged you along again, hearing the count shout after you, “Oh, get a room!”

“We already have one!” Asra replied with a laugh. “It’s in your palace even!” he added before the two of you laughed over the frustrated grunt you heard from the count, making your way towards the market, hand in hand.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on this request from tumblr:  
> Could I ask for a scenario in which Asra’s S/O becomes suddenly very ill, and decides to take care of them. It can be as angsty or as fluffy as you like.

Your coughing boomed through the whole store as another fit overcame you. Asra’s expression turned grim as he took a peek over his shoulder at you in the bad while waiting for the hot water to finally boil. Your condition was more than concerning, even though Julian had confirmed it would just take a few days to be back on track again.

However, that didn’t stop Asra from feeling very helpless in this whole situation. He wasn’t even sure if he was doing you a favor with bitter herbs and stale bread to eat. Even if he had extensively looked up teas that would help you fight the illness, he wasn’t that confident in his brewing abilities, ready to fight the teapot again, should it erupt like in his younger years.

“Asra…” he heard you wheeze suddenly, making him flinch. Turning around and stumbling over his own feet, he was by the side of your bed in mere seconds, immediately holding your hand close that you reached out for him. A wry smile decorated your lips as you looked at him, before suddenly turning grim, your body jumping repeatedly as another cough hit your hard in the lungs.

He waited patiently until it finally stopped, his heart throbbing at the sight of the pained expression. Even if you’d eventually recover it was very clear how hurtful it must be for you to be in this condition. “What is it, love?” he asked, tenderly circling his thumb over the back of your hand, trying to smile encouragingly as you looked back at him.

“Can I have some water?” you whispered, mouth dry and lungs stinging when they filled with fresh air. “Of course,” he replied, separating one hand from the hold he had on yours to reach for the carafe on the bedside table. Refilling your glass he placed the jug down again, picking up and bringing the glass to your mouth. He supported your body to sit up a little, holding on the glass while you took a few sips in your own speed.

A small sigh escaped your lips and Asra rushed upwards to set down the water and also replace the pillows under your back, making sure you’d lay a little taller and more comfortable. Once you were settled back in bed, you mouthed a small thank you before closing your eyes again, trying to rest. He brushed away your bangs, giving you a kiss on the forehead which made you sigh pleasantly, as it was a comfortable feeling against your fever-ridden head.

Quitely pacing through the room, Asra opened the windows, making sure that no draft would hit you badly before returning to the stove, finding the water to be finally boiling and the salamander already sleeping underneath, still radiating warmth. He quickly picked up the kettle filling it into two of your unique mugs, one of them he carried to you, the other he kept to himself.

Even if it had only been minutes since you laid back down, you had already fallen asleep again. However, you woke up, smelling the unique flower that unfolded in the hot water. “That smells nice…” you sighed, slowly opening your eyes and reaching for the mug. Asra, of course, wouldn’t let you hold it alone, knowing you felt at a loss of strength because of the sickness, and you were thankful that you wouldn’t spill any of the hot beverage over you thanks to him.

“Good?” he asked, nipping on his own cup a few times while he assisted you. “Very,” you hummed, letting him set the mugs aside once you were finished. “Is there anything I can do for you right now?” he asked. Even if he wouldn’t admit it, by the way he rubbed his hands over his thighs, seemingly as if he’d dust off some dirt from his trousers, you know he was worried. Worried sick, one could say.

“Hm…” you hummed thoughtfully. There was a small glint in his eyes as he sensed a chance to be useful to you in your time of need. It was almost adorable how he looked at you, like a puppy waiting to be petted. “Nothing, really…” you finally said, figuratively seeing his puppy ears flop at the disappointment.

You let out a hoarse laugh, coughing a little as your lungs tried to recover from the sudden laughing. Stretching out your arms towards him, you could watch his mind peak in interest. “Can I have some of you then?” you asked sweetly, watching his mouth curl into a sheepish grin. Asra was quick to slip under the blanket on your other side, carefully laying one arm around you, trying not to apply any pressure and you gladly wrapped your own arms around his torso in a hug.

“I sleep best when you are next to me,” you sighed blissfully.

“Then I guess, I’ll stay until you are well rested,” he replied, kissing the top of your head.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on following request on tumblr:  
> I came back on tumblr just for arcana stuff lol! I just found your blog it looks really wonderful! Idk if you're still doing requests but do you think you could do a scenario where julian finds out his s/o is super buff. I'm a female but gender neutral is totally cool too! Thank you!

How he could not have noticed it sooner was a mystery, even to a doctor like Julian was.  
It’s not like he’d ever keep his hands off his s/o, though to him, her handshake was always just snuggly tight, and he never noticed anything besides the pleasant back rubs she’d give him whilst hugging.

Not even her clothes revealed enough to ever make him come to the conclusion just how fit his s/o was. Not until now at least. Now that she was standing in nothing more than a bit of coverage on the beach, waving for him to finally come into the water with her.

His s/o was probably the best-trained person he had seen in a while - and he was a doctor and regular at bars full of rowdies. From the six-pack to the biceps, she was trained down into her calves and up to the shoulders and he had never noticed. Never.  
Blind for love? Maybe, but it was a surprise nonetheless. A pleasant surprise even though very much unexpected.

Julian couldn’t help but regret his choice to never work on his own muscle mass more than necessary. Of course, he could find many excuses: The plague, Lucio, the running away, and more. But in the end, he may have let himself go a little, both his body and perception of people. And now for the first time, he found it a little embarrassing to undress.

“Are you just going to stand there and stare at me?” his s/o laughed as she made her way back to him. Water pearls caught in her hair rolled down he puffy cheeks, dripping onto her prominent shoulders. Others drove down her stomach, falling over her belly button to ultimately perish in the fabric of her panties.

Even though he couldn’t see himself, he could feel the heat shooting into his face, having followed the journey of the water droplets for just a tad too long. “I-I’m sorry, I got lost in thoughts,” he quickly brought forward, trying to look her straight into her eyes and no further than these shining orbs. Of course, it was impossible to hide the blush on his face, his s/o grinning to herself when she caught the admiration in his eyes.

“You know…” she mumbled, coming closer, tugging onto his shirt. “If I get you out of your clothes you might get to touch something in return?” Biting his lower lip, Julian nodded, his ears most prominently flushed in red by her flirting. His s/o couldn’t help but laugh, quickly opening up his shirt and leaning in for a kiss, feeling the eager response to the affection from his side.

“But first…” she whispered against his lips, a longing sigh escaping him as she pulled away. With a sudden sweep under his feet, Julian found himself swaying in his position, only to be caught gently by his s/o’s arms. “Huh?” he managed to say before his s/o started to laugh again.

“First you need to swim, my little pirate,” she declared and the next moment he opened his eyes, he was underwater. With skillful strokes Julian breached the surface again, taking a deep breath before he too, couldn’t help but laugh, paddling over to his s/o who was already in the water again herself.

Holding on to her tightly, he managed to stare her right back into her face, his s/o still grinning from her successful ambush. “Damn, [Name],” he muttered, kissing away some water pearls on her face. “You always know how to sweep me off my feet.”

Their laughter was only short-lived, as they joined each other in a deep kiss, giving Julian a bit of time to let his hands wander, exploring what he had only seen from afar until now and admire even more what he felt under these curious fingertips of his.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on following request on tumblr:  
> Asra doing a love reading for his crush and the cards literally tell him to go for it and confess to them

“And then…” he mumbled, turning the last of the three cards around to view it. His crush leaned forward curiously, mustering the last image of their reading. “What does it mean?” they asked, peaking up at him. Asra could feel the warmth spreading around his nose and in his ears just from their gaze, though he cleared his throat to get rid of the embarrassment before starting to explain.

“Well, The Lovers show that there is a connection between two people…” he brought forth, listening to their understanding hum as the voices in his head grew more and more clear. Certainly, if anyone could tell, then his beloved cards, knowing fully well just how fond he was of the person in front of him.

It could have very well been his own reading. All the cards hinting at a promising future if he only managed to tell them about his feelings. However, now the last one got him thinking. Either The Lovers really wanted to tell him that his feelings could be on a mutual level with his crush’s, or it was the temptation calling. It left him unsure what to do.

Reaching out his left hand, he brushed it over the other cards, his right still resting on top of The Lovers. With closed eyes he tried to focus, unable to give his crush a good reading with the beating of his heart being so rapid. The different types of voices sounded like bells, the rustling of win, all sounds he found pleasant, signaling him that it was alright, and wanting him to connect the last card to a positive response too.

But when he focused back at the two lovers, he felt like hearing a fire crackling, making him doubt that they really wanted to tell him about a connection - at least none that would withstand much.

Asra took a deep breath, sighing inwardly when suddenly, he felt a warm feeling enveloping his hands. Flinching, he opened his eyes, staring at his crush’s worried expression, their soft hands tenderly placed on top of his. “Asra?” they asked. “Are you okay?” Their eyes were focused on him and he felt himself being tugged in and unknowingly leaned forward towards them.

Right before their heads bumped into each other however, he got back a bit of his conscience, leaning back way too far and tugging his hands away from them. “Yeah, absolutely fi-” Before he could finish his sentence, the chair he was seated in, lost its halt on the ground, his weight shift being too great to keep him sitting straight. With a loud crash and a small yelp from him, he fell backwards, groaning lightly as he moved off the chair.

Aghast, his crush got up making their way around the table in no time, kneeling down next to him. Unsure what to do, their hands hovered over his body, trying to equally find out if he’s hurt and not hurt him more by touching him. “Oh god, Asra! Can you hear me?” they asked, their voice clear as daylight in his ears. He laughed, shuddering a little as the vibrations of his giggles shook his pained body.

“Ah, that wasn’t very cool,” he lamented, laying down onto his back and taking a deep breath to breathe into his pain. “I am sorry that you had to see that,” he added, looking up at them from one eye while keeping the other shut. “Don’t be stupid, Asra. You just got hurt, certainly, there are other things to worry about than how you might have looked. That’s not important,” they mumbled, half to themselves as they wanted to remind themselves of doing first aid.

When their first hand came down, it was swiftly caught by his, making them halt in their motion, giving him a confused look. “No… No, it’s very important,” he objected, groaning as he sat up to be eye to eye to them. “I care so much about how I could look in your eyes.”

Their expression grew more and more confused as they watched him sit up, assisting as best as they could. Since the backroom was rather small, they managed to seat him against the wall, giving him some support after the shock his body went through. He slid down his hand that had grabbed their wrist before, intertwining their fingers, as he managed to hold on to their hand.

He laughed a little as he saw the light blush on their cheeks, bringing their hands up to lean his head against their skin. “I am sorry I took so long to open my mouth,” he apologizes, looking at them lovingly. “But I think I kind of bumped my head and suddenly everything seems to make more sense.”

Maybe it really had been the temptation that The Lovers wanted to tell him about. But when he bumped his forehead against theirs and whispered, “I love you,” he knew it had only been the temptation of insecurity that had held him back from confessing.

The bits of pain still stinging through his body were worth it, when he saw their face turn even redder as he waited for their reply, hoping that their ties were tight enough to make them forget about his unseemingly fall from the chair very soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on following request on tumblr:  
> May I request a scenario for Lucio and his s/o playing with his dogs?

“Who’s the prettiest boy and girl?”  
Your voice was hearable over the whole staircase. The two snow-white dogs wagged their tails excessively, as the sniffed their hands before you brushed over their fur equally at the same time. “Yeah, that’s right,” you purred. “You are. Yes, yes.” Your baby voice was sickening to everyone who heard it, though you thought there was no one around to listen in on you as you tended to the dogs.

There was no measurement to describe the love you had for Melchior and Mercedes. Ever since you came to the palace you had gotten lost in their soft fur and curious eyes. You couldn’t see why others thought them to be vicious animals when all they ever did were giving you kisses and demanding pats from you.

You heard the clacking of boots, descending the stairs from above and even though you knew it was Lucio by the sound of him clearing his throat, you didn’t look up. But the animals’ eyes shot into his direction for a split second before focusing back on you, seemingly more happy than they were before.

“[Name], I was hoping you’d come upstairs to see me. But I see you were held back by my vicious guards,” Lucio announced, waiting for you to give him the attention he demanded from everyone in his grasp. “Nu-uh,” you giggled, letting your cheek being smooched by Mercedes’s snout. “I came for the dogs,” you explained, laughing as they both inched closer.

“Of course, you’d- Wait, what?” you heard Lucio say disbelievingly.

You laughed louder, getting up from your crouched position, and carefully passing the two excited dogs. The count was already sulking, crossing his arms in front of his chest and watching you with a fiery gaze. “Ah, come on, Lucio. You know I am here for you,” you purred, settling a few steps below him and wrapping your arms around his hips so that your head could conveniently rest on his crossed arms.

He gave an unsatisfied grunt and turned his head away, pouting. Tightening your grip around him, you let go with one arm to rub your hand affectionately over his back. “Pat me, Darling,” you mumbled, kissing a few times on top of his still human arm. He was weak to your pleads, and you knew him too well to not get advantage of that.

His pout turned into a blush at the sound of a pet name, and he clicked your tongue as he finally looked down on you. Opening his arms, he brushed his metal left over your head, being very careful to not accidentally hurt you with the claws. You closed in the distance to his chest, sighing against his shirt contently.

“You know, Lucio,” you started after a while of him affectionately returning your hug and tending to your wish. “Instead of being jealous of the dogs, we could just take a walk all together.” Finishing your sentence you duck out of his grasp, hearing a dramatic gasp escape his lips, and quickly ran down the stairs.

“Me? Jealous? Of the dogs?” Lucio shrieked, taking two steps at once while descending after you.

“You two heard him, come on, we are going on a walk,” you animated the dogs, following them with loud laughs as they took off running down the hallways, Lucio right behind you. You didn’t mind him catching up, holding you back by the arm while you laughed. Even before he could start a heated argument with you, you caught his lips in a kiss, not letting him back away, but instead kissing him for so long until he gave in.

Letting go of him finally, he had calmed down and you took his hand to tug him along as you two went after the dogs, going for a much appreciate walk and some alone time for you.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on following request on tumblr:  
> May I request a scenario for Muriel and his s/o playing with his wolf?

Struggling a little, you climbed onto the fallen tree, being thankful for Muriel’s outstretched arms that took you by the waist and helped you down again. Even though you loved walking through the woods with him and Inanna, someone from his build had it much easier to conquer all these obstacles in the way.

Linking your arm with his, the two walked through the thick vines and brushed around your feet. Even though the forest was only lit by the sun shining lightly through the petals of the tree, you could still make out the black wolf in the distance, sniffing and running in a circling motion around you.

You felt safe with Muriel and Inanna, both of them keeping you from any harm and making sure you wouldn’t have to face anything bad. Every now and then, the two of you stopped so that Muriel could repair or replace one of the many protective charms that were spread throughout the woods and you’d watch him.

However, you couldn’t suppress the laugh when Inanna emerged from the bushes, a way to big branch of a tree in her mouth. If it wasn’t for her hight and your knowledge that she was a wolf, you could have thought her to be a playful, little puppy. You quickly got up to take the end of the branch that stuck out far and was dragged over the ground.

“Muriel, look!” you called for your boyfriend, who immediately turned towards you, the charm he was working on still in his big hands. You and Inanna proudly stretched the branch upwards as far as her neck allowed, showing it off to Muriel, who only gave you two a confused glance.

“A stick?” he asked, quickly wrapping up his work to focus on you two. “I think Inanna wants to play fetch!” you blurted out before giggling to the wolf seemingly nodding her head up and down. “Huh…” Muriel muttered, a soft smile crossing his lips as he approached you two.

Petting her over the head, he took the stick from her mouth and your hand, holding out his other hand to you. After wiping your hands quickly on your clothes, you took his gesture, tangling your fingers with his, as the three of you made your way out of the thicket, an open space unfolding before you.

There were a lot of flowers growing on the clearance and suddenly, you felt the need to sit down and have a break. Leaving Muriel some space, you sat down into the grass, feeling the soft mix of mud and greenery envelope you. You watched the tall man taking a big swing, shooting the branch up into the air and forward, Inanna on its tail, running like the wind.

Dutifully, she dragged the stick back every time, and it went back and forth for a while. Watching them, your thoughts trailed off as you unconsciously started to pick up flowers from the ground, weaving them together. Certainly, you weren’t as good as your boyfriend when it came to all the handcrafts, but you managed to make two pretty little crowns, incredibly proud of yourself.

You waited a while longer, watching how Inanna got more and more tired, panting heavily. Muriel was quick to understand the signs too, and after another and another throw of the branch, he nodded into your direction, Inanna letting out a soft howl and trotting over to you.

Taking the flower crown off your lap, she flopped down next to you, replacing them with her head, letting you crawl her behind the ears. Muriel placed the stick aside, not noticing the accessories you had made as he sat down next to you, ruffling her fur affectionately. Taking out one of the crowns you put it on her head, announcing it with, “Tada!”

Muriel chuckled softly at the sight, brushing his fingers over the petals. “Very pretty,” he muttered, smiling contently at the wolf. Inanna only wagged her tail lightly, watching you two from her big, yellow eyes. “Muri?” you asked sweetly, making him focus his attention to you. “Hm?” he replied.

“Can you lean forward for me?” you asked, watching him nod and bow his head to you. Swiftly, you placed the second crown on his top, chuckling lightly. It was too cute for you when he leaned back, trying to see onto his own head. “Ah, thanks,” he mumbled, a red hue on his cheeks as he avoided his eyes.

“Now you are my flower prince,” you laughed lightly, beaming him a big smile. The blush intensified on his face and he shot you nervous glances, wringing with his fingers. You reached out, placing your own hand on top of his affectionately, letting out a satisfied sigh. Muriel watched your hand for a while as you drew circles over his skin, until he leaned forward, sheepishly planting a kiss on your temple.

“Thanks…” he whispered, and you couldn’t help the heat rising into your head too as you gave him another bright smile.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on following request on tumblr:  
> May I request the reader who had a one night stand with asra before leaving the city, only to come back after years with their child?

“I’d like two of them,” you said to the vendor at the bread stall, adjusting your little daughter who was propped on your hips. She giggled excitedly, kicking her leg a bit through the air. “Now you’ll see, Vesuvia has the best bread,” you mumbled to her, giving her an affectionate tap on her nose, making her giggle even more.

It had been forever that you had walked these streets of Vesuvia’s market, but the smell of the freshly baked bread took you years back. When you had left the city, you didn’t expect to come back. There were a lot of happy memories you connected to it, but just too much bad ones that you didn’t want to relieve ever again.

But, with all the things that still troubled you in the back of your mind, you were always reminded of him. Whenever you looked into your daughter’s angelic face, it reminded you so much of the magician you had left behind. There had been times you had regretted leaving him, and times, you had wished he had come and searched for you. But the older your daughter got, the more you felt your heartstrings tug you back to the city of Vesuvia.

And there the two of you were.

It wasn’t easy to get back. Alone, with a child and a big backpack. All the things you had to do, all the miles you had walked. But when you heard the waves crashing against the harbor, smelled the all-to-familiar bread and even met some of your old acquaintances, you felt at home. Exhausted, yes, but at home. There was nothing you’d rather do than crash for a few hours in the inn, but it had never been easy with a child. You wondered if Asra still lived in this city, after all this time.

Thanking the vendor as he handed you the bread, you pulled off some of the packaging, holding it up to your daughter who proceeded to nibble on the food carefully. “Yummy!” she declared, and you took a bite yourself to prove it. “It is,” you said, feeling the warmth spread in your stomach and how your body reclaimed the taste of it. Turning around you let her feed on the bread, knowing she was hungry after another day of travel.

However, just as you turned, you suddenly caught the sight of something white in the corner of your eyes. It wasn’t the hair of your daughter, the little one sitting on the other hip, facing away. You couldn’t quite believe when you heard your name being called out, as you turned towards the sound. “[Name]?”

Your eyes grew wide as you stared at his face. By now these features should have been so familiar to you, but it was like you experienced them anew. Asra’s expression was just as shocked and confused, his forehead wrinkled as he approached you slowly. Only for a moment, his eyes switched to the child in your arms - sweet as she was, still nibbling on the bread while watching you - ultimately, getting stuck on her.

It needed a small shake of his head to pull off his stare, redirecting it back to you. Clearing his throat, you noticed the light blush on his cheeks as he looked back at you, putting on a wry smile. “I- I can’t believe it’s you…” he almost whispered, though he was close enough that you could hear him. “Y-Yeah, what a coincidence,” you replied, letting out an awkward laugh. For a moment, silence returned between you two, but Asra was quick to act, gesturing towards your daughter, who eyed him curiously.

“And who are you?” he asked, giving her a big smile. Biting your lower lip, you took a deep breath, telling him your daughter’s name. You knew that he was aware, he probably had already counted back to the one time the two of you had been more than just acquaintances, comparing it to her age. “Want to see a trick?” he asked, holding out his hands and forming a cup with them.

Ah, how much you had loved his magic. You remembered the way it touched you and how he used it to make you feel better. Drawn in to it, you couldn’t help leaning forward with your daughter, watching as his cupped hands filled with water, a small fish-like figure jumping out of it, amusing your daughter greatly. She laughed loudly, drawing the attention of the people around you.

Though his trick had lifted the awkwardness of the situation for a second, you could feel all the stares on you suddenly. As if she knew, your daughter too hugged on to you tighter, and you held up your hand in front of her face, not wanting people to stare at her. “It was nice to see you Asra…” you mumbled, sincerely meaning your words. “But we better go now, there’s just… too many people.”

He finally looked up too, seeing the judging glances from the people passing by. They too must have noticed the similarities and you felt uncomfortable and overwhelmed with the thoughts you imagined they may have. You were already in the move of turning around, planning how to dash through the crowd when his voice held you back. “[Name], wait!” There was something decisive in his voice, but also the hint of a plead.

Asra didn’t dare to touch you to hold back, having his hand loosely held out towards you. Towards your child. His eyes were gleaming, like the day you two had found comfort each other’s arms. “We should talk,” he started, taking a deep breath. “About us… About her?” he finished his sentence, his words were more of a question. “If you don’t have a place to stay, do you want to come to the shop?”

Biting your lower lip you thought about the offer. It was a bittersweet one, but something in you wanted to go with him so badly. There was still the part who had missed him so much and who longed to talk with him, just as much as he wanted to talk to you. “Yeah, maybe…” you replied, giving him a soft smile. He replied the gesture, turning into the opposite direction, towards his shop and you followed, tightening your grip on your daughter who didn’t know anything else besides that you were tense.

You felt a little better when you three left the crowded market place, walking through the small alleyways towards his home. It was quiet until his question broke through the silence. “Can I hold her?” he asked. It was so a simple question, but you felt as if it was a stone, hammering onto your heart. Giving her a small glance, you nodded slowly, the two of you halting. Holding her out to him you instructed him on how to properly take her and he followed your every word.

“Hi, I’m Asra,” he said, walking ahead of you, holding your child - his child - as if it was the most normal thing in the world. She giggled and he let her play with his necklace. You looked after them, a sight unfolding in front of you, that you never planned to see. And while your heart still ached as your mind told you it wasn’t true and this could never end well, somehow you felt that this was what you had always waited for. Sprinting after them, the only thing on your mind was how similar both of their white manes swayed in the wind when they walked.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on following request on tumblr:  
> Could I have a scenario of trans male!apprentice having bad top dysphoria any time he takes off his binder and Portia comforting him?

Staring at the mirror, you slowly ran your fingers over the fabric on your chest. Just in this moment, it was ideal. At least in your opinion. You felt confident, strong, light-weighted even. But you couldn’t shake the lingering feeling in the back of your mind, reminding you that it was time to take the binder off.

No matter how much you loved it like this, how good it made you feel, you knew your body was suffering, slowly suffocating on the tightness around your chest. Even if you preferred that over the sight of your breast any time, you knew it was too much for your body to handle, his outcries being constant in the back of your mind.

With a long sigh, you slipped under the underside of the bra, pulling it off over your head. Avoiding your gaze from the mirror you felt light-headed for a second, as the air rushed in, hitting every bit of your lungs and expanding them fully. It had definitely been too long, you knew that and you cursed the stings it gave you now that the oxygen level rose in your blood.

Sighing again, you tossed the binder into the next best corner and turned away from the mirror. You didn’t want to see yourself and all you had in mind was covering your body with something that wouldn’t exaggerate your features any more than they were. 

Picking up the next best shirt that you found hanging over a chair, you put it on, the smell of your girlfriend washing over you, as you realized it was Portia’s. A small smile tugged on the corner of your lips as you thought about her, before you threw yourself onto the bed, missing her a little. There were still some errands she had to do so she wouldn’t be back until long.

Maybe a nap would keep your mind off the bad thoughts until Portia would return to her cottage. The last thing you felt was Pepi jumping onto bed too, snuggling into the space between your body and your arm, purring softly as you fell asleep. 

 

“Home~” was the first thing you heard again after your slumber. It was followed by Pepi raising her head, meowing softly and you taking a deep breath as you stretched your tired bones. There couldn’t have been an awful lot of time that had passed, as the sun still hadn’t disappeared behind the horizon, but the nap had done the deed by having your thoughts disappear for a while.

“Hello,” you croaked, throat dry after being asleep. Portia swayed over to you, leaning down to give you a kiss on your temple, sending a blissful shiver through your body. “You okay?” she asked, brushing some strands of hair out of your face. “Mhm,” was your reply. You didn’t quite want to admit your feelings, knowing it would worry hair.

“Okay,” she said, getting up and starting to unpack some of the groceries she had picked up for dinner. Though after pulling out an eggplant, she stopped, turned and looked at you again. “Is that my shirt?” she asked and you nodded shyly. “Yeah, uh, it hung over the chair.”

Portia giggled softly. “Looks good on you.”

Nodding some more, you turned your face into the pillow, your next words being quieted by it as you mumbled, “Hides me well.”  
You jumped lightly as you felt a hand touch your shoulder, immediately making you look up again and face Portia’s worried expression. “What did you say?” she asked, taking a seat on the bed next to you.

“Nothing. It’s nothing, Portia.”

“Oh, I think it’s something,” she insisted, reassuringly rubbing your back as you averted your eyes.

“I just wished, you know.” You propped yourself on your elbows making a vague gesture of your chest. “They weren’t there.” Portia didn’t say anything at first, she didn’t even sigh. You half expected her to brush off the topic, it being always the same for the both of you. “Okay, look,” she said suddenly, getting up from her seat and gentle but determined pushing you over onto your bed.

With much accuracy, she straddled you, leaning down and pressing her body against yours as tightly as possible. “Now, you can’t see any boobs anymore, can you?” she asked, supporting your neck from behind so you could look down. You were reluctant at first, but the determination in her eyes made you take a quick glance down.

“No…” you mumbled, furrowing your brows. “But I see your boobs.” She giggled softly. “Oh, don’t act like you don’t like my boobs,” she teased, giving you a knowing wiggle with her eyebrows. You couldn’t hold back a soft chuckle and you wrapped your arms around her, turning her over on the bed to lay beneath you.

“Ah-Ah,” she announced, lifting your chin up. “You’ll need to come closer than this.” Doing as told, you pressed your body to hers just like she did before, giving it a shy glance after you were sure there was no space between you two anymore. Still with your shirt covering most of you, and her breasts being more prominent, it looked more like you always envisioned it.

“You know, they don’t determine who you are,” she whispered quietly into your thoughts. You looked up at her and she met your gaze with love in her eyes. “You determine who you are. The body is just a temporary vessel and it will form to your wishes as long as you keep working on what you want it to be.” You nodded slowly, being thankful she took the matter more serious than you expected her to.

Not only were her words honest, but they also helped with giving you back some hope for the future. When she carefully pushed your head down to rest against her own chest, you gave in easily, listening to the steady heartbeat of hers. “It’ll be alright. After all, I am here!” she assured you, laughing lightly about her own comment. You gave her a soft smile, moving up to kiss her cheek. “Thanks, Portia,” you whispered, and she nodded eagerly, meeting your lips in a kiss.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Ouch, I bit my lip... Kiss it better?" Prompt Request with Julian.

“But, [Name]!” Slurring his words a little, Julian laid his head down onto the table, giving you puppy eyes. You weren’t going to fall for it however, focusing on the paper in your hand which you had brought to the tavern from the palace. “We’re in public. I will not come over to you to make out because you got yourself drunk on Salty Bitters.”

You heard him quietly murmuring a long ‘Aw’ before he straightened his back again, taking another sip on his keg. There was a bit of silence as he watched you read, propping his head on one hand and using the other to slightly flick the paper. Admittedly, if it hadn’t been so important that you knew the document by heart the next morning, you’d understand him getting sulky about your lack of attention to him.

But he knew that it was important, so you had less pity on him.

“You know, it’s so important that you give your boyfriend some attention now and then,” he grumbled, pulling softly on the paper’s corner.

“I’ll get lonely and die if you do-” His words came to an abrupt halt and you looked up, raising an eyebrow questioningly. Julian had raised on hand over his mouth and you were somewhat expecting him to feel sick, counting in your mind all the glasses he had consumed that evening.

“Julian, are you alright?” you asked, reaching one hand out and gently touched the one arm that rested on the table still. He nodded hesitantly and met your eyes in a long gaze. “Ouch, I bit my lip…” he mumbled quietly, almost unhearable through the noises in the pub.

“That’s what you get from trying to make me feel bad by giving me doctor facts about ignoring you,” you laughed. You wanted to retreat back into your seat, focusing on your paper again, but he caught your hand mid-air, pulling it back. Suddenly, your faces were inches away from each other, meeting in the middle of the table.

“Kiss it better?” he asked, giving you one of his signature, wide, goofy smiles. You sighed internally, leaning in to give him a smooch. But the second you wanted to pull back, Julian caught you in a more serious kiss and your body reacted accordingly. No matter how important that paper was, you still held the man so dearly in your mind, there was no way you’d be able to simply resist his affections.

You sighed blissfully into the kiss, even bringing one of your hands up to caress his cheek. He smirked against your lips, enjoying his final attention greatly. Though the moment you two shared was harshly interrupted by the room getting quiet all of a sudden, and you had an ominous feeling as you pulled back, looking around from your booth.

Cringing a little, you noticed all the eyes on you, though Julian winced as you left him wanting for more. He definitely was less concerned about the people staring and you just looked into their eyes from one end of the room to the other, nervously.

An old sailor started coughing, lowering his eyes and looking back on the cards in his hand before muttering under his breath, “Get a room, you two.” You felt the heat rise into your cheeks and ears as you turned back to face Julian and cover your face in your paper.

“Oh Bernie, never saw two people in love kiss?” Julian laughed, smirking at the old sailor.

He flinched as you gave his shin a kick under the table, the whole room erupting into laughter at his flabbergasted expression.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It's been a long day... let's take a bath together." Prompt Request with Asra

You let out a long yawn, stretching your arms into the air. Every single one of your bones was aching after the long time being bent over books, researching new magical tricks. Asra chuckled lightly next to you, finding your hand in a hold once you lowered it again.

“Tired?” he asked, and you nodded hesitantly. There was no way you were going to admit that all the studying and trying out of the new magic had exhausted you, but he knew it by only looking. “You worked hard today,” he praised you, squeezing your hand encouragingly.

“Thanks,” you muttered, looking to the hallway floor, a little embarrassed that he felt like he had to encourage you, even though he had worked even harder than you did all day long. “You did great too,” you muttered, though you felt like your words had less impact on him, as well as the wry smile crossing your lips.

Asra only gave you another giggle, bringing your hands up to his face and kissing your knuckles. “I think I know what you need,” he mumbled. The next time you two passed a turning, instead of going straight ahead and towards your quarters, he nudged you to turn, leading you down an unfamiliar hallway by his hand.

“Where are we going?” you asked, feeling a little overwhelmed. You trusted him more than anything in your life, but you felt so extremely exhausted, all you wanted was to fall into your bed and drift off to sleep. Right now, you didn’t feel like you’d be able to come along on one of his adventures.

“You’ll see,” he replied. The two of you walked down a few more turns and twists on your way, confusing you more and more. Even if you’d say that you knew the palace pretty well by now, after all the lefts and rights you weren’t sure about your whereabouts anymore.

By the time Asra finally stopped in front of a big door, you felt kind of dizzy, your exhaustion draining you all the more. He nodded towards the guard outside of the door and the guard responded accordingly to him. Asra looked back at you, gently tugging you along as he opened the door and entered the room behind it.

Immediately, the soft smell of lavender and roses filled the air and you breathed in deeply, wanting to savor the flavor. Admittedly, you could have expected it, but the sight of the big bath overwhelmed you. That was exactly what you needed and you didn’t even know you needed it a few seconds ago. Outside the large window you could see the sun setting over Vesuvia, dimming everything into an orange light and you sighed blissfully.

It was your favorite time of day and suddenly, you wanted nothing more than dip your aching muscles into the bath, cuddling up to Asra and watching the night fall slowly. It had been a long time that the two of you had been able to enjoy some quality bathing time together, both of you terrible busy lately.

“Oh, Asra,” you whispered, feeling how his body came up from behind you, his hands brushing along your arms and sides. He hushed you gently, brushing away your hair and planting some kisses along your neck.

“It’s been a long day… Let’s take a bath together, shall we?”

You didn’t refuse as he took off your clothes and helped you into the bath, seating you close to him, so you could watch the sunset as he kissed all the aches away.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You like me more than them, right? Right?" Prompt Request with Lucio, being jealous of his s/o spending too much time with the other guys.

“You didn’t have to end it like this, Lucio,” you grumbled, trying to show him some resistance by slowing your pace. There wasn’t much you could do but lean back and stomp your feet into the marble floor, but you still tried to slow down his pace. He was dragging you after him, back into his quarters, after abruptly ending the get-together with the others.

The metal of his prosthesis was cold, even through the layer of gold. You didn’t appreciate him handling you so roughly, thinking you two were actually at a point he knew that he wasn’t supposed to just do whatever mood came into his mind. But he seemed almost stressed and very tense from what you could see and you weren’t going to upset him further by scolding him.

However, something you couldn’t tolerate was the impending strength he used on your wrist. It was sometimes harder for him to control how tight he gripped things with the limb that wasn’t really his. And even though you knew he didn’t intentionally would hurt you, you winced under his hand getting tighter and tighter.

Other than your words before, your pained outcry made him stop, immediately releasing your hand. He turned towards you, hands awkwardly hovering at your sides, as if he was about to catch you in case you’d be falling to the ground. You caught a glimpse at his face, a mixed expression laying in it. Lucio certainly was aware that he must have hurt you, you could see the hints of guilt darting through his eyes, but you had rarely seen his face quite so distressed in a while.

“What’s wrong, Love?” you asked. The pain in your hand was forgotten fairly quickly as you reached up to cup his cheeks. You could see him wanting to lean into your touch, but surprisingly he brushed your hands off, giving you a quick, “Nothing. I am tired,” before turning and running down the hallway.

You were quite surprised he didn’t actually slam the door into your face, leaving it open for you to enter. There was no way to predict his moves when he was moody like this, not even for you. You could hear fabric shuffling as he got rid of his fur, shedding it to the ground. He just left it lying in the middle of the room, kicking off his boots.

Lucio groaned a little as he took of his arm. You knew it was a heavy strain at the end of the day, tugging at his body and mind. Quietly, you waited in the entrance, having closed the door behind you as you watched him. He didn’t spare you much attention as he threw himself into his bed, hiding his face in the soft velvet covers.

You gave a small sigh. Lately, he had been really working on redeeming himself and letting go of his bad habits, but whenever you saw him like this, you knew he was fighting with what he wants to be like and what he should be like. No matter how exhausting he was at times, you still had nothing but love for him, so you walked over, rubbing your hand over his back reassuringly and sitting down on the bed next to him.

At first, he wiggled your hand away, but by the time you had let go of your own shoes and climbed further onto the huge mattress, he crawled after you, burying his face in your lap and hugging one arm around your waist. Combing through his golden locks, you murmured softly, “Want to share your thoughts?” His head still in your lap you could feel him shake it, making you sigh internally.

He was stubborn, moody and kind of a jerk, but you knew something was wrong and you could just let it pass like this. You gently tugged on singular strands of hair, making him grumble against the stinging feeling on his head. The more you did it, the more he realized your intentions, but he didn’t look up as he directed his next words at you.

“You like me more than you like them, right?” he asked, adding a smaller, quieter ‘Right?’ after another second or so passing.

You were stunned for a second trying to figure out why he’d say something like this. “Are you jealous?” you asked unbelievingly, pushing him back on his shoulders. “Just… Just say it, [Name]! Yes or no, it’s not that hard!” he hissed at you, propping himself on his elbow and your legs to glare up at you.

“Oh, Lucio,” you muttered, cupping his face again and leaning down to kiss him. He didn’t lean in, muttering against your lips that were leaving smooches against his. “Can you just answer me?” It sounded upset, but there was a light plead in his words and you smiled softly.

“I love them, they are my friends, Lucio,” you replied, brushing your thumb over his skin. “But yes, I like you more.” You felt him relax a little, sinking back into your lap and closing his eyes slowly. “Thanks…” he mumbled, and you hummed your affirmation, letting him daze off for a while.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Be mine please" Prompt Request with Asra and a shy/new to romance reader.

You clumsily rolled up your skirt as you made the first few steps into the water. The liquid felt a little cold against your skin, as it washed up onto the shore that you were moving away from. With the pebbles and the sand, you found it hard to move forward, and you were all the more grateful for the hand that reached out to you.

Wobbling over the ground, you held on to Asra’s hand, as he carefully helped you deeper into the water. Your other hand was occupied with holding the fabric up and also the little glass bottle which you had brought. There were a few times you feared to fall, but always right on time, you felt his steady grip on you.

“Whoopsie, careful there,” he pointed out, securely wrapping his arm around your waist and helping you over a bigger stone, which could have hurt if you had stepped on it. Your body instantly reacted, stiffening and sending waves of warmth to your face, as you found yourself in his embrace, having instantly hold on to him and closing the space between you two.

With a light gasp, you pushed yourself away from him, averting your gaze and instead directing it onto the setting sun in the distance. Asra giggled mischievously, following your eyes out to the ocean. “Pretty, isn’t it?” he whispered, loud enough for you to hear him, but as quiet as needed to not disturb the moment.

Behind the horizon, the sky was turning into a rich orange, followed by the dark blue of the nights, with a zillion of stars sparkling in it. “Yeah,” you replied, smiling contently. With a deep breath, you dedicated yourself with securing your skirt once more, making sure it wouldn’t fall in the motion you were about to make.

Asra watched you quietly, leaving you the time you needed. Even though the water reached up to your knees now, it wasn’t as cold as before, but you didn’t plan to walk home with wet clothes either. You couldn’t risk any more sick days, though admittedly, you would have followed Asra even to the ground of the ocean if he had taken you with him.

Alone that thought brought another red blush that ravaged your face, and you shook your head lightly, not wanting him to question it. “Ready?” he asked abruptly, noticing that you were in thoughts again. “Y-Yeah,” you stammered, feeling as if he caught you off-guard. Your grip around the bottle got stronger, as Asra counted to three. You readied your stance, wanting to throw the glass wide, so it would deliver your wish safely onto the shore.

“… Three!”

Both of your arms snapped forward, releasing the items in your hands simultaneously. You watched them sore through the sky before they dipped into the water with a satisfying ‘plop’. For a moment, you felt really giddy, chuckling to yourself as you watched your bottle disappear in the waves. “Do you think they’ll make it?” you asked Asra, who nodded in reply.

“If you believe in it, it will.” You gave him an understanding hum, as the two of you continued to watch the bottles which were slowly disappearing behind the horizon. A shiver hit you, with the sun slowly fading and the night taking over. You felt colder than before and you missed your socks and shoes on your feet.

“We… We should go back,” you suggested, already turning a little into the direction of the shore. You didn’t expect a sudden hold on your arm, though you turned back to look directly into Asra’s face, inches from yours. You could see the water reflecting in his iris, he was just that close. “Wait a moment,” he asked.

Turning back towards him questioningly, you waited for him to do something, hugging yourself with your arms. “What did you wish for?” he asked, sounding very serious. Another blush hit you, as your eyes swayed side to side, avoiding his. “Oh… Eh, well. That… I can’t tell you!” you blurted out, trying your best to not sound too suspicious.

“Oh?” he muttered, leaning back again and looking out onto the ocean again. “Wish I could have caught your bottle, but it’s so far gone already…” he murmured, almost sounding pouty. “S-Stop teasing me, Asra! Let’s get out of here!” you hissed, your whole face burning by his keen interest.

“Wait, wait!” he yelled after you as you already did the first few steps towards the shore. You heard the splashing after you and nice as you were, waited for him to catch up to you. “Surely, you wished for coming home to your sweetheart,” he teased you further, giggling as he followed you out of the water.

“What? No!” you quacked. “I don’t even have a sweetheart, you know that!”

He let out a long hum, thinking intensely. “Maybe we should change that!” he declared the moment the two of you finally put your feet out of the water. From the shore, the stars seemed to twinkle even more. “What are you saying…” you mumbled, a little confused as you tried to find your shoes in the dark.

“Well…” Next thing you knew, Asra had kneeled down in front of you, holding out your shoes, ready for you to slip into them. “Be mine, please?” And when he gave you a wide grin as your face turned redder with every second passing, he didn’t really need an answer to it anymore.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m not much of a chef, but… I really hope you like this.” Prompt Request with Julian.

You weren’t sure what to say. There was barely anything that looked edible in the green-ish soup and the smell was like a hit straight into your face. For a moment, you were weighing your options here. They weren’t a lot, admittedly. You could have chosen between eating it under the anticipation of constipation, saying you had no appetite and hurting his feelings, or crying. There was no other option.

Taking a sharp breath, you lifted your glare from the soup bowl, looking up at your boyfriend. “I’m not much of a chef, but… I really hope you like this,” he mumbled, giving you a sheepish chuckle. You could see the tension in his whole body. From his eyes which nervously glanced back and forth between you and the soup, and his hands, wringing with each other on top of the table.

Pondering, you decided on just taking the risk. You loved Julian enough to do this one little thing for him, even if it might leave you bedridden for a few days. With a bit of a shaking hand, you scooped up some of the green devil’s broth, bringing it to your mouth and softly blowing.

You could hear him swallow from across the table, the nervosity growing. Not like he had taken any of his own soup yet, but you figured he just really wanted to please you which was why he held back. Squinningying your eyes, you took in the soup, letting it roll down your tongue before swallowing it.

It seemed like time stopped for the next ten seconds, neither you or Julian breathing. You didn’t because it would mean giving in to the taste and Julian because he was waiting anxiously for your judgment. Finally, you came to terms with your faith, giving it some test smacks and letting the flavor spread in your mouth.

There couldn’t have been a day you were more relieved than on this one.

Though it looked and smelled like being cooked in a worn-out shoe, the taste was definitely better. It had the main taste of fish, but the spices he had mixed under it were prominent on your tongue too. You felt like there was definitely some room to improve in terms of consistency - he had used way too much water, thinning it - but you were glad to not actually have melted your taste buds with it.

Stirring the soup with your spoon, you took another sip from it, giving him an approving hum. Julian let out a long breath, smiling tenderly at you. “It’s good, Ilya,” you assured him and he finally picked up his own spoon to have a taste too. A few moments of silence where only disrupted by the clinking of the tableware, until he spoke up again.

“I think I should have made it spicier…” he mumbled, more to himself than to you. “Maybe add some cilantro…” he continued his overthinking. Wearing a little smile on your lips, you leaned forward, holding on to his free hand, resting on the table. You instantly had his full attention, telling him, “You did great, don’t worry, love.”

You loved the little blush you received from him, Julian’s mood lifting from your compliment. He took his hand back a little, only to fit it perfectly in yours, intertwining your fingers. “Thanks,” he mumbled, grinning wildly by now. “I hope you’ll cook for me again?” you asked. “Anytime!”

Leaning forward you met him halfway over the table in a kiss, lingering for a while. You barely noticed him pulling your plate away before he let go of you. leaving you longing for more. “Ah, Ilya,” you mumbled, looking after him, ready to get up. “I can clean up, you don’t have to do that”

He hushed you gently, pushing you back onto your chair.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered, almost seductively so.

“There’s dessert.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hm? Oh, sorry. I couldn’t help but stare at you.” Prompt Request with Asra

Even though the crowd would usually put your mood down, you couldn’t help but be excited. Leading Asra by the hand through the people around you two, you made little jumps in your steps, humming. Your gaze was aiming directly for the little corner between the market and the steps up to the streets, and your arms held tightly to the bread you were carrying.

“It feels like forever that we managed to get some fresh bread, Asra,” you yelled back at him, grinning over your shoulder. It was incredibly loud and tight on the market but your good mood was still unbeaten. “That’s true,” he replied, smiling just as widely back at you while following you with big steps.

But no matter your excitement, you were glad to finally catch a breather as you two finally stepped out of the hot sun and the masses of bodies around you, coming to a quick halt in the shadowy corner. Spinning around, you faced him, gaining another smile from his lips.

Quickly, you took the loaf of bread into your hands, ripping it into two and handing it to him. He took it while laughing, still admiring your upbeat personality on this day and how excited you were for the bread, as if it was your first time again. In fact, you didn’t waste any time taking a big bite from it, once Asra had his half, chewing happily on the taste treat.

It took you quite a few more bites before you realized that Asra didn’t as much enjoy his part as you did, and you laid your head to the side, giving him a questioning look. With your mouth half-full you mumbled, “What’s wrong?” noticing the dullness in his eyes.

Almost as if in shock he flinched to your question, shaking his head lightly. “Hm? Oh, sorry. I couldn’t help but stare at you.” A little flustered, you focused back on your bread, noticing you had eaten it up almost completely in your euphorie. Take some slower chews, you tried to savor it a little more. Your heart whining a little at it being the last piece.

It must have been visible on your face and you looked up when you heard Asra’s laugh, as he inched closer. Placing one hand on your cheek. With precise movements, he rubbed his thumb over the corner of your mouth and you could watch some crumbs falling off because of this. “My, aren’t you happy,” he giggled, pressing in closer to you.

Reluctantly you placed your hands around the other half of bread he pushed into your direction, looking back and forth between him and the item. “Asra, what-” you started, getting interrupted by him. With a soft touch, he urged your hand upwards, taking a bite from the bread as you held it out to him.

“Now it’s all yours,” he mumbled while working through the food in his mouth. “But that’s your part…” you whispered, feeling somehow guilty that he’d leave it to you when it was meant for you both. Running the same thumb he used to discard of the crumbs on your mouth over his own, he gave it a small lick before presenting you with another grand smile.

“If I can see you happy, there’s nothing more I want in the world.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst Scenario Request with Muriel having to go back to the arena for some reason and finding out his s/o is his opponent.

He never wanted to return here ever again.

To this ugly place, the walls smeared with the blood of the victims and scratches from all the weapons and nails that ran into the stone. Muriel had never looked back, letting the people forget about him, about what he had done, about what he looked like - then and now. Standing at the entrance, he could almost hear all the painful cries, the sounds of bones cracking, gurgles.

There was too much death, too much idiocy that ran through every seat and everything. And yet, there he was again, standing in the shadow of the arches above him. Like an idiot. If anything the idiot was him. How could have this happened? Him returning over a whim of a dead man, the stupid people, and his own idiocy.

It wasn’t like he remembered it. There were people, he could hear their fabrics shuffle and hushed voices, but it wasn’t the same as in the past. No one screamed, no one cheered for the fight to start. It was way too quiet to even make out the count of people in the Colosseum. And yet, Muriel found it grotesque that there was even one other person next to the count showing up to see something so tragic.

He found it incredibly hard to go out into the light. His whole body and mind were fighting with each other, telling him to run, telling him to attack the ones that found this so enjoyable. All the bad feelings inside of him were taunting him, calling him a coward for more than just following these orders he was given.

But he knew even running away and hiding wasn’t an option. He’d be found again, somehow, somewhen by somewho. Muriel knew there was no escape other than death and somewhere inside of him, he wished for it. In a second of losing himself, his s/o popped into his mind. Their smile, their tender touches.

They had often said really stupid things, like ‘You’re cute’ and ‘I like you’ but they had never pushed him into something he didn’t want to and they always understood him - better than Asra, sometimes even better than Muriel did himself. They truly had become what people would say was his sunshine and he could only imagine what they’d be going through if he didn’t come home to them like always.

He knew he didn’t want to do it, but he had to. He absolutely had to come back to them, even if it were to be the last he did in his pathetic life. Clenching the weapon in his hand, Muriel awoke from his thoughts by the voice of the count, echoing through the silent rows of seats.

“People of Vesuvia! We have gathered to once more, watch our beloved Scourge of the South do what he can best, and to enjoy once more our favorite delight in these walls! Just like we did in the last battle that happened here!”

Muriel knew that it was his time when he heard his old name murmur through the people’s mouth, who had thought him to be dead such a long time ago. He didn’t want to move. Every step was accompanied by cracking of his bones, as if they were trying to hold back, his mind screaming into the endless void of his dull state. He had to, he absolutely needed to get this over with.

To end this once and for all and to go home. His chickens were waiting to be fed, Inanna wanted more belly rubs. There were so many sticks to be whittled and most importantly: There were words to be said to his s/o. Words he had never told them before and which needed to be out. That he loved them and that he wishes for them to never leave. And that he wants to hug them and touch them, more than he ever craved human contact in his life.

Suddenly, everything made so much sense to him. His feelings and actions were so clear and vibrant in his mind. When had been the last time he felt quite so redeemed from the clear view onto the things? Muriel couldn’t remember, but he picked up the speed, wanting to finish it finally, taking the clear thoughts and making sure to communicate them once he was home and by his s/o’s side.

The only thing he never understood was why they stood there, shivering, on the other entrance of the arena. With tears in their eyes and weapon in hand, they almost looked like his opponent. His enemy.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julian X male!s/o nsfw? Relief fuck after Julian almost got his ass executed.

“You’re an idiot,” you complained in the short break your lips left his, while you tore off the shirt covering your body. “I am,” Julian agreed, biting his lip as he brought one hand to your sides, letting four thingers run down your back and his thumb over your chest. “Stop agreeing.”

Hissing your last words, you brought one hand under his chin, pushing it up to give you better access to his mouth. Your legs were still straddling him as you two rested on the edge of the bed, your feet hanging over it. With swift movements you tugged off your shoes, leaning further into the kiss with him, as your disrobing continued.

It was Julian, who took matters into his hands, hugging your body tightly to get up and place you onto the bed, standing in front of you. A soft moan left your throat from the sudden distance between you two, letting a cold draft from the window lay down onto your skin. Unbuttoning his shirt, Julian gave you a quick smirk, leaning down to catch you in another kiss. But your mouth was soon to be left alone again, as he worked his way down your cheek and neck, resting on your collarbones for a while.

“Had I known that you’d greet me like this, I’d have tried the stunt sooner, my love,” he joked, smirking against your skin, while his shirt found the way to the ground quickly. With a disapproving huff, you tugged in one knee, letting it rest right between you and his crotch, feeling the building bulge against your shin. “You better not be trying this again, Ilya.”

A soft shudder ran through his body by the calling of his name and you reached out a hand to cup his cheek gently. “I am just so glad nothing happened,” you mumbled, tracing your fingers down to his neck, dwelling there for a bit. Though it wasn’t too long until he picked your hand up, bringing it to his mouth and - without breaking the eye contact - trailed small kisses down your hand’s inside and wrist.

You gave him a small smile, the bitterness of the situation just prior to this still leaving a bad taste in your mouth. But when he reciprocated the gesture and leaned down to kiss you again, you instantly fell back into reality, knowing he was with you and save. Slinging your arms around his neck, you held him in place, hearing how the fabric of his pants rustled as he got rid of the interference.

Just like his, your bottoms were quickly disposed of, his hands working efficiently to get to the aim he had in mind. Julian moaned against your lips, eyelids half-closed while he tried to focus on the pleasure of your body against his. Even though you couldn’t see it, you could feel his member lingering on top of you, while his hand wandered down to yours, sending pleasant jolts through you as he brushed over your shaft.

Admittedly, you had always wondered just where he got the skills to pleasure you quite like this, but whenever you had brought up the courage to ask, he’d just blame it on his doctoral work. His fingers were long and slender, pleasantly wrapped around your penis whenever you let him please you. Working from the lowest point upwards, he let them dance over your skin, applying pressure independently on every one of his fingers.

Though probably most pleasant was when he finally reached the tip, rubbing over the most sensitive spot, the middle, moving back and forth until moans left your lips and you pressed closer to his, wanting to feel even more. Julian was more than willing to help out your needs, humming into your kiss. His lips tugged yours in neatly, while his tongue danced with yours, just as wild as he did with you at the Masquerade.

Giving him the freedom to nibble on your bottom lips, you let your mind - dizzy from the willed lack of oxygen - refocus on what was going on. “Julian…” you whispered, a sound he loved to hear from you. “More…” you pleaded, and he gave you another quick smooch before leaning up again. “Anything for you,” he replied, moving his hips back a bit until your cocks laid in unison.

You didn’t know it had been an option before, but his hands were big enough to grip you both. Despite being well endowed himself, he had no problems on taking on both of your cocks, though he did bring in his second hand, to reach even more spaces than before. With gentle nudges, he urged your legs higher, to fit around his hips a little tighter, instead of hanging loosely to the sides like before.

His left hand on top of the tips, rolling them inside of his palm, you could barely distinguish from what was yours, his or his hand. It felt like different kinds of insides you had tasted various times before - except less messy because his hands were mostly dry still - and you were not unhappy with how that specific massage turned out.

There were some distinguish thrusts of his hip against yours, while he worked his right hand down the shafts, plunging them deep down to the balls and up again. The feeling of his hips colliding into yours, imitating the way he’d pound you whenever you two were at it, sent small gasps to leave your lips, wriggling your hips a little to adjust to them.

One hand against his chest, you let your nails run down his fair skin, leaving red marks from the pressure. Though much to your own satisfaction you could see the glint of pleasure in his eyes, reflecting just how much he liked your initiative. The room was filled with your moans and eventually, some gasps that slipped either of your consciences. Heat radiated from your bodies, and you didn’t feel the cold breeze from before anymore.

By this point, both of you were panting. It wasn’t as straining as a real humping, but the feeling of your skins rubbing against each other, securely inside his hands was enough to get you two into the mood. Probably more than him, you felt more and more strained with keeping up with his teasing and pleasing movements, finding yourself on the edge slowly but surely.

It definitely showed in your heated face, your thoughts sunken in the pleasure and your eyes glazed while you felt the peak rising. “Julian,” you mumbled, weakly pushing both of your hands against his chest, while he continued with his thrusts and roughening movements. “Come, my love,” he replied, hunching his torso over you, to kiss you, even though his body didn’t stop the action.

With a long groan, you hit your orgasm, feeling how the inside of his palm grew wetter and some of the semen dripping back down and onto your stomach. Through jolts inside of your body you could hear him whisper, “Mhm, let me just… a little more…” while he continued with his handjob, until finally, with a low grunt, he joined you, burying his face in your shoulder.

Julian took a few seconds until he composed himself again, finally loosening his grip around your penises. His lips drove up from your shoulders to your lips this time, tangling yours in another sweet kiss with him. “That was fun,” he mumbled against your mouth and you only hummed a short reply. You could feel his lips curl into a mischievous grin before he continued.

“Time for round two.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucio meeting his first born Scenario

His shoes clicked restlessly over the marble floor, occasionally grunt or clicks of his tongue accompaning the sound. Lucio paced impatiently in front of the large bedroom door, the servants making sure to not cross his path, as they feared to run directly into the count with his turns so sharp and unpredictable.

There was a deep scowl on his face and he didn’t look like a man who was soon to be father. What was going on in his head? Superficial frustration and annoyance, to the fact that he was not allowed inside while the mother of his child was giving birth to just that, for once. Second, fear, nervousity, insecurity. He had seen all the stages of pregnancy, but was it really real? Would he become a father any second, minute, hour from now?

Though his partner’s belly had grown bigger and bigger in the nine months, it had been a surreal time. Never had he ever tried to please someone quite that much, the pregnancy not only being demanding to her but to him too. He still felt a lingering grudge for the one time, his partner had snapped at him for a trivial reason, ultimately blaming it on the hormones.

But now, they had ushered her into one of the many bedrooms of the palace, excluding him. “Your arm might bear some dangers to the newborn,” they had said, pointing at the shining gold prostetic. Lucio let out a low growl remembering these words. He wasn’t sure what it was called, but that servant was sure to lose their job once that brat was born. He still couldn’t believe they’d talk to him like this.

Another swift turn. His heels continued to click on the ground, Lucio found that to be quite soothing.

He’d be a father. He’d be. A father.

Had he ever told his s/o about his father? Probably not, it wouldn’t have been a good story. Lucio was sure he’d do so much better than that worthless slacker. Hell, he’d do better than his mother even. Surpassing his parents wouldn’t be that hard. Not like their teachings were any good in the first place. All he had, all of the country, all of his glory, all he was now, it was all his work. He had brought it so far, risen from the ashes of that awful childhood.

He may have failed a few thing before. Like his mother, or the promise to that ugly worm. Maybe he wasn’t the best count, maybe his city was a little wrecked, yes. But…

There was no way he’d fail his own child. And yet, he didn’t hear the cries from the other side of the door, his attention on his thoughts.

The sudden ‘thud’ as he ran into the opening door, cleared his mind a little. The spiral he was slowly taking into the back of his head not being to his liking anyway. Lucio hissed at the maid while rubbing his forehead, making her duck away under his piercing gaze. “You may come in now,” she cheeped quietly and he immediately pushed her aside and strode into the room.

Doctors and nurses assisting bowed to him respectfully as he entered, the lead doctor coming up to him. Lucio found it hard to concentrate on the slow gratulations of the old man, but something else caught his attention. His s/o on the bed, barely looking up at him, as she bopped the small bundle in her arms, cooing to it softly. Only when he approached her, did his eyes meet with hers, a soft smile spreading on her lips.

She looked… blissful. As calm as he hadn’t seen her in long, a characteristic he missed throughout her pregnancy. She was sweaty, hair sticking to her head, though her clothes were different than he remembered them from before, she must have changed them on some point. Lucio had always found her to be beautiful, but no matter how unkept she seemed, somehow she radiated a different type of pretty now. It was fascinating in his eyes.

There was no way that he needed any form of permission to approach her, sitting down at her bedside. And yet, he found a moment of hesitation in himself, wondering if it was better to just stand next to her, or maybe kneel. Nobody had told him what was appropriated when a child was born, not that he had asked anyone either.

But she noticed, only taking a swift second, to take one arm off the hold on their baby, to gesture him to sit. Like a dog he followed eagerly, inching in to the two people before him. Lucio had to stretch his neck a bit, to see into the bundle, his s/o only leaning forward to him a bit. So close, he could see the bags under her eyes, the exhaustion written on her face. Though her smile didn’t falter.

“It’s your son,” she murmurred. Her voice was like honey in his ears after all the time waiting to hear it. He wanted to push the fabric on the bundle away a little, to see better. But when he reached out his arm, the clanking of the metal made him realize he shouldn’t. Lucio retracted it quickly, curling his hand into a fist. His s/o noticed that, chuckling softly.

“Do what I am doing,” she advised, waiting patiently as he tried to find out what she meant. Even though there were annoyed wrinkles on his forehead because of her not giving too much advise, Lucio settled on imitating her arm position, trying to make it as exact as possible. She gave him an approving hum, leaning forward and placing the bundle into his arms.

Carefully, she propped the baby with it’s feet to the mechanical arm, leaving him more freedom of movement with his real on. Lucio’s eyes darted back and forth between her and his child, slowly but surely turning the scowl into a wide grin. Finally, he pushed the fabric aside, out of his son’s face, looking down at the rosy cheeks.

The baby gave a yawn, stretching it’s fingers, before curling them back together, and Lucio reacted by holding out one of his own, watching as the baby gripped on tightly. “He’s strong, [Name],” Lucio announced, not looking up from what he held in his arms. “Like you,” his s/o replied, patting his shoulder affectionately as she watched the two men in her life.

“And he looks like you,” they sighed after a while, leaning against Lucio’s shoulder while watching the child. “Yeah, he’s absolutely magnificent.” Even though it sounded like a praise to himself, his s/o took the time to look at Lucio’s eyes, his pupils following the babies every movement. There was genuine admiration in them, making his partner’s chest tighten with affection.

For Lucio, there was so much going on. Every wiggle he could feel, the pressing of his child’s hand against his fingers, the fair, little locks that came forward from the fabric around the babies head. Slowly everything was coming together. When had been the last day Lucio felt quite that grateful? When had he looked at something so beautiful, it made him want to look at it forever.

He couldn’t remember. But he also couldn’t remember the bad times when he wished he had felt these things while looking at things he bought, or himself in the mirror. And it didn’t really matter anymore, they were all such small things really. All that was present not, was the child in his arm. The small baby, bigger than any troubles he had met in the past.

And he was so sure, he wouldn’t fail this time.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scenario for Asra finding out his s/o has self-harm scars and having covered them with illusion magic up to this point. He accidentally walks in on them in the bathroom and finds out about them, just him comforting them.

“[Name], I can’t find the teapot. Have you-”

Asra’s voice made you flinch as you tried your best to quickly pull over a nearby shirt over your body. You had tried to lock the door quickly but you had been too slow, leaving you no choice but to try and hide yourself away. You were lucky, catching one of his and quickly pulling down the sleeves. Even though they didn’t cover all of you, it covered a big part of your arms and you were lucky for every inch you got.

It was a useless undertaking hiding something from Asra. You had grown more and more frustrated with yourself over all the time you were with him too. It was hard hiding something, from someone you held so dear and who seemed to read you like an open book. And you also felt a little bad, for he was always open with you, but you weren’t with him. It hurt you, and he knew, but never pushed you further than necessary.

But this time, it was different. You didn’t have the time to hide your scars and you could feel your hearts drop in unison as he saw them. Turning around you could see how Asra’s body tensed, and even more so, the more he could see them and he bit his lip, wanting to ask about them. But the look on your face told him not to and his expression turned almost hurt, while his arms sank powerlessly to the sides of his body.

He just knew you too well, and you knew him too well too, but it pained you to see him look so helpless. God knows what he was really thinking, but you wanted to comfort him, even just if it was just a little. “They’re healing,” you said, brushing your hands over your arms, though your eyes watched him. Asra almost looked relieved, maybe having expected something worse in that very moment, where he found you in the bathroom by yourself.

As if you two were dancing, he took one step forward - hand outstretched towards you -, you took one back. It was a natural defense that kicked in, but he noticed it, his hand flinching away. Taking a deep breath he tried again and you let him approach this time. There was nothing to hide from him and though you imagined it to be painful when he touched your skin, it was more reassuring than you had ever dreamed.

“How long did you have those?” he asked. “A while…” you muttered back. Even though the situation was serious, you could almost see the hint of a smile in the corners of his mouth. “I taught you too much if you had a chance to hide them from me for so long,” he muttered and you too, couldn’t help but smile. He knew you had used magic before, there had been no other way to hide them so well.

Admittedly, it wasn’t the most comfortable feeling, his rough fingertips bumping over the scars as he ran down your arms. But you felt how much he needed this. He needed to make sure on his own that you were okay and you put on a brave, yet tense expression for him.

It took a quiet while for him to come to terms with them, retracing them, turning your arms upside down, maybe he counted them, you didn’t know. The longer he examined them, the less nervous you got and the more natural it felt when he touched them too. It got to the point where he let out a long sigh, bringing your wrists up to his face, kissing your palms gently.

“No more illusion magic, okay?” he asked, giving you a stern look. “I don’t know…” you whispered back, feeling a little cornered with your request. “[Name], please.” Looking back up at him, you could see the pleading in his eyes and you weren’t sure what to do. “They are not pretty,” you finally stated, your voice slowly fading out towards the end.

“But they are you,” Asra responded simply. “They are signs of your struggles, but also that you’ve overcome every one of that, and I think that is very attractive.” Though you bit your lower lip, you couldn’t help a crooked smirk escaping you. Maybe it was flattering that he liked them, maybe you were just glad to not face his disapproval. But it did feel like a burden off your shoulders that he accepted them at least.

Asra leaned forward, pressing a kiss on your temple and giving you a brief hug. You leaned into him, letting him rub your back comfortingly before he leaned away a little, far enough to look at you, but his arms steadily around your body. “Almost as pretty as you in my shirt,” he mumbled, winking at you briefly.

Chuckling, you let yourself be embraced by him again, his hair tickling your nose, smelling a lot like herbs. Suddenly, you remembered his question from before, bringing it up again.

“So, what about the teapot?” you asked, feeling his body stiffen in your arms.

“I swear it doesn’t like me,” he responded and now you really couldn’t help but laugh.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teasing/flirty Asra with a new to romance/inexperienced s/o with the prompt "S-Stop looking at me like this! You're making me blush..."

It was unclear why having dinner with Asra today was so unnerving for you. The two of you had eaten together a million times but somehow it was different today. Actually, it had been different ever since your feelings grew to something more than just your friendly, mentoring relationship and it was even worse for you considering he was your first ever crush.

Suddenly, everything he did had way more meaning before. Only recently you had asked him to help place something back onto the top shelf and as gallant, as he was, Asra had not wasted one second to come up from behind, his chest brushing against yours as he put the object back in place, giggling a little over himself having to stretch too.

You couldn’t decide if it was worse that your bodies had touched, or that he had such an adorable giggle to begin with, flushing you bright red in the face at that time. Asra had begun to find pleasure in your reactions too, making time and room in his daily routine, just to compliment your hair or stay extremely close to you when he explained some new information on magic to you.

Secretly, you suspected he was aware of your feelings. He’d have this very characteristic smirk on his lips a lot more when he was around you and would use more words like ‘adorable’, knowing this sent you completely into the giddy, happy, embarrassing mood every time. But what about him? You asked yourself the question about his feelings so often, it felt heavy on your heart the more your mind brought it up.

Every time he was so close to you, your heart would beat wildly and you hoped he wouldn’t notice. However, his was just as rapid and you noticed it easily with him being so near. At first, you had blamed it on him being such a good person and just generally enjoyed teaching you or being with you. But his touches started to linger, his compliments were accompanied by that little spark in his eyes you liked so much, and his words grew more fondly than ever.

And by now, it had become unbearable.

You hadn’t wanted to snap at him the way you did, when you noticed his stare, at the table. Hell, you hadn’t even wanted to say anything. But the more soup you ate, the more you felt hot and embarrassed until it kind of just exploded out of you.

“S-Stop looking at me like that!” you huffed at him, immediately biting your lip and looking away. It had taken him by surprise for sure, but Asra wasn’t that easy to upset. “Why?” he asked innocently, a well-known grin on his lips as he observed your reactions.

“You’re making me blush…” you admitted, muttering quietly while stirring the soup in your bowl.

“Oh, do I now?” You were caught off guard by his sudden movement, a hand reaching out and his finger tapping your nose. Irritated you shook your head, starring at him in confusion.

“You’re so cute when you blush though,” he admitted, smile growing wider at your face turning even redder.

“Rude!” you muttered, trying to hide your face by lowering your gaze. Quickly, while he was busy laughing at your comment, you picked up your bowl, bringing it over to the sink to rinse it off.

“And yet, you like me!” he announced light-heartedly and you could feel the heat rising up into your ears.

“I never said that!” you defended yourself, shooting him a glare. It took him quite a while to regain from the laughter that followed, finding your expression to be absolutely adorable. Which he stated and again, made you want to hide in a corner from the giddiness overtaking you.

After a while, he finally calmed down again, letting out a long sigh. Leaning back in his chair, he looked up at the ceiling, thinking calmly. You didn’t quite catch his next words, his voice so quiet and the water in the sink splashing too loud, so you asked him to repeat himself.

His eyes looked at you, the deep violet pleasantly meeting your gaze and you could have fallen in love with him again from the gentleness in his expression. You saw the corner of his mouth flinch, the smile sinking a little while his colorful orbs grew duller for a second.

“Too bad,” he repeated, and you felt your heart sink in your chest as if it had to uphold the sad denial of two separate people at once.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asra being in an argument with his s/o

You couldn’t help the gasp escaping your lips as you felt his skin on top of your hand. The tears still flooded your eyes, running down your cheeks in steady streams. Shaking your head you pulled your hand away, crossing your arms under your chest and cowering back into the chair. You only ever pulled them apart to wipe away some tears, something, that normally Asra would have done for you.

But he wasn’t going to. Especially not after the words he had said and the exchange for screams you two had had. He only sighed at your dismissal of his touch, pulling himself back from over the table and straightening his back in his chair. It was so rare for you two to had an argument which was quite so fatal. Normally you were too much in unison for something like this to occur, and yet, here the two of you were.

You, crying, hurt, and angry at him for what he had said. Asra, upset, annoyed over your stubbornness, and helpless as he didn’t know what do you with you right that instant. His attempt to calm you by touching your hand had been dismissed by you, and now he was even more unsure about what to do. All he could do was avert his eyes, staring at the table top between you two, just like you did.

Even though you knew he loved you and you most certainly still loved him, you wondered if this was the end of it. The fight had started so silly and ended in a lot of pent up stress and anger releasing between you two and you were not sure anymore if you could forgive him for the arguments he had thrown at you or if he could forgive yours. Both of you had it long coming, holding back feelings or habits that irritated you on the other instead of talking them out. Both of you were guilty of it and it had torn you down equally to hear it now.

“[Name], stop crying…” he mumbled, forehead wrinkled in concern. It probably shouldn’t have sounded as demanding as it reached your ears, but your response was still very snappish in the end. “As if I could!” You could hear him let out a desperate sigh, bringing his hands up to his temples, rubbing them to ease the tension.

Your sobs quiet down slowly, eventually only turning into deep breaths and sniffs, your mind hazy from the lack of breathing normally. Finally, you gained the courage to look up and as he noticed your movement, Asra’s eye immediately found yours. The questions were burning in your stomach, leaving you anxiously as they were kept unanswered. Did he hate you now? Would he leave you again? You’re heart stung hard as your mind went into overthinking, and from the flinch in his expression, you knew he felt it too.

“Don’t leave me,” you whispered, another stream of big tears rushing down to the ground. The pain in his expression was half of the one you felt and he didn’t give the chair that clattered to the ground much attention, while he stumbled to your side, embracing you tightly. “Never…” he whispered into your ear, hooking his arms around your torso and lifting you lightly up from your seat.

“I’ll never leave you, I love you, [Name].”

And you simply nodded in response, reaching out your arms to hug him back, letting yourself be comforted by his warmth while your tears soaked into his shirt until they dried out.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asra comforting his s/o who's going through a depressive episode.

“[Name]?”

Pushing down the blanket you had previously pulled over your face, your eyes caught on the fluffy white hair that peaked up from the steps to the upper floor of the shop. It took all your strength to muster a small hum in response, Asra’s ever so cheerful face appearing from below, gifting you one of his brilliant smiles.

“I got bread,” he explained, the bundle in his hands filling the room quickly with its scent - your favorite pumpkin bread. Admittedly, your stomach twisted a little as the scent hit you, reminding you of the many hours you had passed without having any food at all. But you just let out a quiet ‘Thanks’ before sinking back into the cushions and shading your face with the blanket again.

It was just one of these days, where the sun was too bright, the birds too loud, life too exhausting and your body too tired to get up. It was not like you had actively chosen to stay in bed, more like you had decided it was better to not force yourself out, even though your mind was giving you no rest about this decision either.

You could hear Asra shuffling through the room, unwrapping and turning the bread in slices. Accompanied with the sound of water filling a glass you knew what he was up to and latest when he sat down at the edge of the bed, mattress bulging under his weight, you couldn’t ignore him much longer.

Moving under the blankets, you turned from your body facing the wall side to the one that looked into the room, hearing him snickering as he watched you worm your way under the fabric. Finally, you pulled it off your body, slowly sitting up and stretching your limbs weakly. The first thing Asra did when you looked up was softly swaying the glass in his hand, not spilling the water but setting it in motion.

“I am not really hungry…” you mumbled as you took the glass from him that he pushed into your direction, side-eyeing the board with bread on his lap. Nipping on the fluid you could feel relief wash over your body, the nips turning into sucks into you practically letting it stream down your throat. Even though you felt embarrassed to admit that you were thirsty, you couldn’t blame your dried out body to react promptly.

Asra took it with a smile, replacing the glass in your hand with the board and getting up to get you another fill of water. “You don’t have to but it’s so fresh from the baker, it’s really delicious.” Placing the water on your bedside-table, he waited for a bit longer to see if you were to eat something, but after a while, Asra swiftly placed the bread away next to the glass.

“Do you want to come picking herbs with me today?” he asked, reaching out one hand to cup yours, running his thumb over it reassuringly. “I don’t really feel like it, Asra…” you lamented, ready to fall back into the cushions after the first euphoria from the water had disappeared and you were left with more tiredness than before.

“Okay…” His words trailed off for a moment and you tugged meaningly on the blanket that wouldn’t move as he sat on it. “Mind if I climb in with you then?” he asked finally and you could hear him remove his shoes already. “I don’t mind,” you replied simply, finally falling back into the pillows while he got rid of excessive clothing on his body, before crawling his way next to you in between the sheets.

You turned back to the wall side, giving him some space to lie down. Next thing you felt was his arm snaking its way around your hips, his chest pressing against your back gently. All of a sudden, you felt much warmer in the back, while your frontside still felt a little cold from not being covered by the blanket completely.

Shivering lightly, you wiggled in Asra’s arms, turning around to face him instead and resting your head on his free arm above you. This way you could nuzzle your face into the crook of his neck, listening to his steady heartbeat and the sound of air filling his lungs in consistent rhythms. “Warm?” he asked, to which you nodded softly into his chest. Tightening his arm around you, you could hear him let out a long, content sigh. “Me too,” he mumbled after a while, gently running his hand up and down your back.

“Maybe we can go pick herbs tomorrow,” he continued to think out loud, and though you felt yourself drifting back to sleep, you listened in as he kept murmuring his thoughts into your ear, his voice so soothing to the exhaustion you felt all day long.

“I want to show you a new spot in the forest.”

“We should go and feed Muriel’s chicken with the stale bread from yesterday.”

“I love you so much…”

“Sleep?” - “Yes, Faust. Sleep.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some soft Lucio who hasn't seen his s/o in a while because they are sick and don't want him to catch their cold, so he takes it into his own hands to come to them

The moment Lucio stepped out of the carriage, his shoes made a squishing sound as their heels dug into a spot of wet hay and some kind of dirt which the count did not want to ponder about. A disgusted ‘Ew’ left his lips, before he straightened his back, taking a deep breath - the scent being that of a bustling city, and just like the ground he stepped on not to his taste - and roughly shutting the door to the carriage. 

With a wave of his hand, the carter cracked his whip and the royal carriage started off on its way for a few hours. Lucio did his best not to step into more disgusting spots on the floor, but the squishing sound prevailed, some hay stuck to his boot and spiking his annoyance even further.

As if it wasn’t worse enough that he had to come all this way out of the palace to see his lover. His lover - whose presence was mandatory for the count - had had the audacity to stay away for three days at this point and even though Lucio had loudly announced that he never runs after someone, here he was, at his shop. That tiny, flammable shack he called home and apparently preferred to the wing in the palace that he was free to call his own too. 

It only had been three days and yet, Lucio felt a hint of nervousness as if he had not seen his partner for weeks at this point. The first night he had barely noticed his absence, but in the morning and every hour afterwards he had become painfully aware that his lover was not by his side. The reason? Unexplained, and Lucio did not want to think about it, the possibilities just too many and giving him a headache. 

Taking up the few steps to the door, Lucio took another deep breath, immediately turning into a cough as the unknown smell of something foul hit him. It only made him scowl more, feeling like the city really wanted to rub in how he was feeling. Not only had he been the one to come for his s/o - against what he always said - no, he was also uncertain about what was going to happen when he meet his s/o face on. All that bundled in a knot in his stomach, leaving him agitated. 

His first knock on the door was too harsh, sounding as if he had slammed his whole body into the wood, so Lucio made an effort to knock softly two more times. Blaming it onto his impatience, the few seconds that passed felt like a small eternity, and Lucio looked around nervously, hoping no one witnessed him standing there like ordered and not collected. 

Lucio wasn’t as dumb as to try and break in, knowing from previous experiences that Asra’s door magic was against him, however, if the shop was open he’d be able to enter easily, which made him reach for the door handle. However, just before he could reach it, the door slowly opened accompanied by a cough, making him stumble and hold on to the doorframe.

“Lucio?” a weak voice asked. The curious eyes of his lover peeked forward from the door gap, though much duller than he remembered them. “Aha!” he exclaimed, pushing the door open further and letting himself in without waiting for an invitation. As if he had caught them red-handed doing… something, he stood in the middle of the shop, hands on his hips and huffing. It took him some glances from one side to the other to realize that except for the presence of his s/o there was no one other in the room than the two.

“Lucio, what are you doing her-” His sentences turning into a cough didn’t make it less understandable for the count and letting go of his haughty stance he finally turned around to look at his lover. Where Lucio had thought of various reasons why his partner may have not come to the palace recently, they quickly dissolved as he noticed the miserable state he was in.

“God, [Name], you look…” The count fumbled for words, rolling his mechanic wrist in the air while he tried to come up with something. “Sick?” his s/o replied, weak smile on his lips as he pulled the blanket around his shoulders tighter. “Yes, sick. What did you do?” Lucio’s lover let out a dry laugh, slowly making his way up the staircase, sure that Lucio would follow the lead. It was no surprise that the count instantly moved forward and walked after him, huffing over a small spiderweb getting caught in his metallic arm.

“Don’t know, it’s been like this for two days now. Didn’t feel so good the day before that but I didn’t want to bother you with it.” There was another huff in annoyance for Lucio when he heard these words. “What an assumption, as if you could bother me.” 

His words bringing a small smile to his s/o’s face, Lucio watched him as he slipped back into his bed, pulling a second, thicker blanket over him. “I am glad,” he mumbled, his smile making Lucio a little weak in the knees as it looked so vulnerable, yet honest. Lucio quickly stumbled to his bedside, sitting down close to his lovers chest and taking one of their hands into his real one. 

“Why didn’t you stay? We could have called a doctor to look at you! Maybe Jules would have-” Lucio was interrupted by a squeeze on his hand, looking down at it for a second to estimate what it could have meant. “I didn’t want you to get sick too. It’s just a cold, it will pass. I just need tea and sleep, really.”

Thinking, Lucio nodded slowly, his eyes scanning the room. Peeking into the cup on the bedside table, he found it to be empty which prompted him to immediately stand and pick it up. “What are you doing?” his lover asked confused as he watched Lucio walk over to the sink, flushing the ceramic with some water. “What a god-awful cup. I can’t believe you like that better than the porcelain in the palace…” he mumbled, more to himself than to his s/o really.

“That didn’t answer my question,” his s/o mumbled, another cough hitting his lungs right after. A gleam of concern washed over his expression as Lucio looked back at his s/o. However, the latter wasn’t able to see the light flush on his cheeks as he turned his face away again, concentrating on the task on hand. “Tea…” he finally admitted, eyes darting around to look for utensils. 

“You know how to do that?” The shock in his s/o’s voice startled Lucio a little and he gave him a glare for assuming the count couldn’t do something as simple as make tea. “What kind of question is that?” he asked, face turning even redder as Lucio felt both angry and ashamed that someone would assume he can’t do basic things. 

Admittedly, it was a weird picture, the count standing in front of the kettle, waiting for it to cook. It just seemed so out of place, his attire clashing with the simplicity of the room. He had fumbled around a bit with the exclusive blends of teas that were all self-mixed by Asra, not really understanding which of them would be good - they all smelled awful to him - but the thing that stood out the most was how easily he managed to make a fire without using the fire salamander, the animal fleeing as it saw him and Lucio scoffing that it was ugly, or other utensils, as if it was something completely natural to him. 

It was quiet for a while between them all, Lucio’s partner settling deeper into the cushions while the tea scent filled the room. “I don’t like making tea… It reminds me what my old hag of a mother made me do for her. Like a servant.” His s/o only listened as Lucio complained while he waited for the boiling pot to shriek. Eventually he came around to fill a cup, putting out the fire and bringing it to his partner’s bedside, gently placing it down before having another seat next to him. 

“You didn’t have to do it if you dislike brewing tea so much,” his s/o noted, gaining another huff. “Just shut up and drink it. I’ll only do it for you, but don’t stay sick too long or you’ll have to do it yourself again.”

It was a fine cup of tea.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julian with a plague doctor!s/o who is really stressed over finding a cure for the plague to the point of sleep deprivation

“What could it be, damn it…”

Julian rubbed his hands slowly, taking a deep breath and addressed his lover. The fabric of his gloves made an uncomfortable sound when they rubbed over each other, but it was part of his trying to make them concious of his presence. Their ignorance of every and any person approaching them had become a big problem and Julian was more than just worried at this point.

“Love…” he quietly purred, putting his hands on their shoulder. A jolt hit them and they turned in their chair staring up at him like a scared deer. He gave their reaction a crooked smile, thinking about how they had ignored him knocking on their door, stepping in, and talking to them before. 

But before he could address the matter, their forehead wrinkled and they gave him an irritated glare, turning around and continuing to scribble on the paper. “What is it Julian? Do you have to scare me like this?” Biting his lower lip he thought long about what to say. Julian was well aware that they had long overworked themselves, aside from not having slept more than three hours in the maybe last two or three days. At this point not even he was sure how long it had been.

“You haven’t been home for a while now,” he finally spoke up. Their shoulders shrugged into his palms before their mouth answered the underlying question of his words. “I didn’t have the time. This is very important, Julian.” Even though they couldn’t see it, he nodded slowly. Yes, it wasn’t like he didn’t understand that. But it didn’t mean that he liked it.

“I know, Love. But you are exhausted. Everyone is and we all need some rest,” he tried to compromise with them, though he only gained a huff in return. “You can rest if you feel like it, but I got to find a cure for this. There is more than enough time to sleep afterwards.”

“But you-” he interrupted his own sentence to take their chin between his fingers lifting it gently. Tracing the deep, dark circles under their eyes he let out a silent whine, his expression pained when he saw how dire their condition was. “Your body is suffering! If you don’t get some rest and maybe eat something, oh god, what if the plague takes your life next-”

Even through the gloves, the impact when they slapped his hands away hurt like many little needles prickling on his skin. “You’re not my doctor! I am fine, Julian!” they hissed at him, turning back to their work, while he absentmindly held his own hands. “[Name], please reconsider.” The use of their own name caught their attention again, their feather coming to a halt on their paper. His voice was way more serious now and they knew that, by now, the situation was no laughing matter anymore for him.

They finally caved in a little, groaning and rubbing their eyes and temples. “Just… Just a little longer yeah?” they asked, finally facing him out of free will. Their own gloved hand reached up towards his, placing itself on top Julian’s hands. “I am sure I will have a breakthrough soon, I am so close.” Julian’s expression only grew more bitter as he listened to their pleads. “Come home with me, we can work on it together tomorrow again. Please, [Name],” he insisted.

But they only shook their head slowly, eyes dark and tired while they looked at him.

“Soon, my love. I’ll join you soon, but go on without me now, aren’t you tired too?”

Biting his lips, Julian nodded reluctantly, his own bad state of mind and body not being able to keep arguing with them. He leaned down, kissing their hair, before slowly letting go of them, walking towards the door. When he looked back they were already hovering over their desk again, scribbling frantically on their notes.

Julian closed the door quietly, trying to not disturb them again, though he didn’t think that they’d have noticed it, even if he had slammed it back into the doorframe. Sticking his hand into his labcoat, he pulled the magical book he had ‘borrowed’ from Asra. Carefully, he drove his coated hand over the titel, sighing heavily.

If the only way to make them stop working was finding the cure, then Julian knew what he had to do.

He just hoped the plague wouldn’t rip either of them out of the life before that.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Muriel's s/o who is small compared to him tries to jump up on him because they love him so much, but they can't seem to reach him

The first time you tried to jump up onto Muriel’s back while you two walked through the forest, you only heard a disgruntled groan in reply, your body bouncing off as if you had jumped into jello. Muriel gave you the most confused and irritated look as he turned around, and you couldn’t even deny it that your actions had been very weird.

“[Name], what are you doing?” he asked, rolling his shoulder instinctively. Laughing lightly you rubbed the dirt from your hands, ready to get up from the forest ground. “My foot got caught in a root, sorry,” you tried to explain, not wanting to admit that you had actually tried to jump up on him. He grunted in reply, and his one hand brushed over his shoulder. Even though he didn’t seem to be convinced - since you were not that tall and would have crashed into his lower back if you really had lost balance - he held out his other hand to you, helping you up from the ground.

Even though you still felt like earning yourself a piggyback ride, you kept your distance for a while, watching Muriel replace the charms around the forest and trying to keep up with his big steps through the thicket. Someone as affectionate as you were had a tough time with a hard-boiled egg like Muriel. Even the small touches like holding his hand or hugging him evolved into days of no affection between you two. Though he was getting more relaxed the longer you two were together, he still had a hard shell and you couldn’t help your patience thinning the longer you didn’t get to share a moment with him.

It didn’t help that you two were worlds apart. Well, technically not, but it sure felt like it, whenever you wanted to look up at him. The man had to lay down before you even had a chance to wrap your arms around his neck, and even if he wanted to, it would always be awkward if he just wanted to kiss your hands. So you thought about taking the initiative, jumping up and giving him a nice smooch on the cheek, but as it turned out you were barely able to go through with phase one: Getting onto him.

However, you saw your chances and readied yourself, when you two approached a huge fallen tree which you knew how to climb. While he was busy putting up another charm you quickly made your way up the log. Taking a deep breath you counted to three, jumping when the number echoed in your mind. And there you were, mid-air when you realized you didn’t calculate the distance.

Face forward you landed back in the ground, the thud of your body making Muriel aware of your fall and he approached you in a bit of panic, hovering over you, unsure what to do. “[Name], what happened?” he asked, unsure what to do with your body. For a second, you wanted to just sink into the ground and never come up again. “I slipped,” you muttered into the leaves that had cushioned your fall. You weren’t ready yet to get up and show him your red face.

“Are you hurt?” Muriel asked, and you could feel his hands carefully examining your arms and shoulders. After he made sure you were more or less alright - having patted your bag awkwardly to make sure of it - you felt him dig under your shoulders, easily lifting you up and onto your feet. Needless to say, you felt so embarrassed you could barely look him into the eyes, a trait he noticed immediately, as you were a very attentive person normally.

“You’ve been doing a lot of weird things today,” he murmured, to which your face only grew redder, feeling as if he caught you doing something illegal. Both of you stood there in silence for a solid minute, your embarrassment growing and so was his uncomfortableness. “If you don’t tell me what’s wrong I can’t really do anything about i-” Muriel started, his words getting interrupted by a sudden movement from you.

Your arms outstretched into his direction, while your eyes were still on the ground, you tried your damn best to avoid his eyes, knowing you’d just tell him everything and he’d probably think you are stupid for it. “Just hug me okay?” you asked, finger stretching to reach even further up towards him. Silence reigned over you two for another second or two, Muriel’s eyes darting through the woods as if he was trying to see if anyone could see you two. Then again, he was just trying to hide his own embarrassment before he finally leaned down, pulling your body close to his and up into the air.

Now, there was no chance to escape his deep green eyes, but the light blush on his face was enough reason to look at his lovely features. He secured you on his arm, making sure you weren’t going to be crushed or slip from his grasp, quite the opposite even, you were very comfortable. “Happy now?” His blush deepened when you nodded, finally able to wrap your arms around his neck and hug him tightly.

Suddenly, there was a small gasp from his lips, Muriel coming to a sudden realization. The next you knew, he pulled you away gently, his forehead in wrinkles while he gave you a stern look. “Was that what you were trying to do? Jump on me?” You gave him an embarrassed laugh, rubbing the back of your neck. “Well…” Hearing an unhappy grunt from him, you brought down your hands to cup his cheek. “I just really wanted a hug?” you tried to explain, though it sounded more like a question in both of your ears.

“Don’t do that,” he replied before letting you down again. You couldn’t help but feel sad he’d let go of you so easily, but before his hand left your skin completely, you felt it slip into yours, his big hand completely enveloping yours. Much to your surprise, he didn’t let go of it as he continued on his way, pulling you behind him softly.

“Just tell me what you want. Or I won’t know…” he mumbled back at you, and you couldn’t help the smile to spread on your lips, as you realized the affection behind his words.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucio finding out his s/o had been hurt badly in a fight and is thought to be dead, so in a panic he sets out to find them

The moment the door of the shop crashed into the wall behind it, you knew who had just entered. It didn’t need Asra’s disapproving yell of his name to discern who was stomping up the little staircase, and even Julian was bracing himself for the impact the count’s arrival would have any second from now. You couldn’t help but let out a sigh, feeling a little punished by the universe with the turn of events lately.

“[Name].” Lucio’s voice was powerful in the small room, making even the doctor sit back a little and take his hands off of you. Lucio’s eyes laid on you, only flicking to Julian for half a second at best, all three of you a little unsure what to do. “We’re almost finished, Lucio,” you tried to mediate, nudging Julian a little to continue. The doctor’s hands were hesitant, trying to gain some approval from Lucio first, though with your heavy breathing from the pain he didn’t have much reason not to quickly finish his work.

Both of you did good in more or less ignoring the mess of count who approached you, huffing as he watched Julian take care of the gash. It didn’t surprise you that he didn’t flinch at the sight of it, a mercenary as he was probably having seen worse than that. And yet, the more time he spent looking at the gash the darker his eyes turned and the more wrinkles seemed to collect on his forehead.

“Lucio, I can’t concentrate if you keep tapping your foot like that,” Julian dared to mumble after a while, earing a low growl from behind him as the tapping continued. “Then hurry, Jules.” Lucio’s reply was only met with another sigh, and you tried to calm him by keeping your eyes up at his face, watching how Lucio’s kept jumping back and forth from yours to the wound.

However, the moment the bandage went back on, you couldn’t help a smile wince of pain to escape you, your body posture breaking even though you needed to keep it up as good as possible so the wound wouldn’t be disturbed. In a matter of milliseconds, three hands and one claw were all around you, keeping you up.

“Goddamnit, Jules, what are you thinking?! You are hurting him!” Lucio hissed from above the doctor. “Well, if someone wouldn’t be disturbing my practice, I am sure he’d be just fine!” Julian replied, having enough of the count’s remarks. “It can’t be that hard to wrap a bandage around someone!”

“It is if you are pestering the progress!”

“Excuse me?!”

“Guys!” you yelled out, ending their argument instantly. You were still in no shape to even speak up this loud, your stomach fizzling and your mind numb from the pain. “Just stop okay? Lucio, let him do his work. Sit down or something,” you suggested, vaguely motioning into the direction of the table and chair combo in the middle of the room.

Picking yourself up and straightening your back, you tried to fight the painful stings you felt, but your actions had an impact on Lucio. Reluctantly, he pushed himself away, letting go of you in the progress. Not without shooting Julian another dirty look, he marched over to the table, flopping down onto the chair while letting out some quiet curses under his breath.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Julian picked up his work again, having to take off the cloth once more to inspect the wound and if it had opened. “Sorry,” he mumbled and you only nodded for him to continue. It took another few minutes until he had finally wrapped you up nicely in the bandage, helping your lay down into the bed and leaving behind some pills for you to take if the pain got any stronger.

Neither Julian nor Lucio said much of a farewell, Julian wanting to pick up a sentence but dropping it right away, shaking his head, and Lucio only growling at the doctor, watching him leave. Once Julian was down in the shop you could hear the tender whispers of Asra and him, though you couldn’t concentrate enough to make out what they said. Before you got lost in thoughts, you felt the mattress under you sink deeper, weighted by Lucio as he sat down next to you.

It did hurt a little when he let his hand brush over the freshly bandaged wound, though his touch wasn’t enough to make you groan in pain either. “You shouldn’t have talked to Julian like tha-” you scolded him, but you were interrupted before you could finish. “Who did it?” he asked, eyes strictly on the bandages around your torso.

“Lucio, no. You don’t need to do anything about that, I can’t even remem-”

“Who did it?” he insisted, his voice growing more and more impatient.

“Let me finish my sentences!” you hissed back at him, reaching for his arm to take him out of whatever trance he was in. The moment you touched his skin, his eyes shot up to you and you could see the burning anger in them, mixed with a hint of sadness if you dared to interpret it.

“I don’t know Lucio, I didn’t know that guy. Leave it alone!”

His expression changed the moment you told him to back off the topic, biting his lower lips and lowering his gaze again. “I can’t leave it alone, they hurt you!” he tried to argue, though his voice was much softer now. You led your hand trail down to his, which was still resting on top of your stomach. “But it’s okay now, I am here. Nothing happened. I just lost a few dimes and gained a scar.”

His breathing was much calmer now, though Lucio looked exasperated. He was much like a scolded puppy now and you could see the emotions still raging through him as he racked his brain about what to do. “But what if it wouldn’t have been okay? You could be bleeding out in the streets now - [Name], you could be dead and no one knew. Hell, I didn’t know where you’ve been for most of this happening, [Name]!”

Gently, you hushed him, like a child, softly squeezing his shoulder. “Don’t, Lucio. It is - in fact - okay, everything is alright. Don’t let your emotions get the better of you know.” Bringing his hand up to yours he squeezed it, taking a few deep breaths before nodding. For a while, you two sat in silence. Maybe you were enjoying each other’s company, maybe you were just calming each other from the shock. Finally, he brought your hand down to your sides, making sure you were wrapped nicely in the blanket before he got up, leaning down to kiss your forehead tenderly.

“I’ll be back,” he muttered before planting some more kisses around your temples and the bridge of your nose.

“Don’t do something stupid, Love,” you reminded him as he got up to leave.

“I never do,” he replied, disappearing down the staircase.

At least, that’s what Lucio wanted to believe. But someone needed to receive some punishment for what they had done to the only person that mattered to him.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asra and Julian with a s/o that is thought to be a mother because children loves them, but is scared of becoming a mother

Asra

“It’s okay;” Asra mumbled, pecking his lips against the back of your head and wrapping his arms around you from behind. You waved after the mom who just seconds ago had profusely apologized for her child throwing a tantrum in the shop over the fact you wouldn’t give it one of the stones in the display. Watching the two leave - the child crying, the mother still bowing to you and hushing the little one at the same time - you let out a heavy sigh, turning around and leaning into the embrace of your lover.

“I am terrible right? All I do is make them cry even though they are so comfortable around me.”

Asra let out a thoughtful hum, rubbing his hand over your back. “If anything you make a good store clerk. Who knows what the little one would have done with the crystal if you had handed it over.” Even if his words had good intention, they didn’t do much to calm you, and you sighed again, deep into his chest.

“[Name], look. Even the mother knew it was wrong, the child has to learn boundaries too. You even helped with that, so to say. It’s not your fault it started to cry.”

Nodding vaguely you listened to his heartbeat, forehead still wrinkled in frustration. “I just hope I’ll do it better with our child.” There was an amused small chuckle from Asra, as he gently pushed you away and pushed your chin upwards with his hand to look into your eyes. “I know you’ll do amazing, I could not wish for anyone else as the mother of my child.”

Hands wandering, he pressed you close to him again, leaving breath-robbing kisses on your mouth which slowly took over the thoughts inside your head.

“I look forward to it,” he mumbled against your lips and all you could do was nod your head in response to him.

 

Julian

“Bye~” Waving at the small group of children as the ran off into the streets of Vesuvia, Julian had a wild smile on his face, one arm hooked around you, keeping you close to him. Slowly, your own smile was fading, the further the kids got and you took down your own waving arm, connecting your hands in front of your stomach and fiddling with your fingers.

“How sweet they were, don’t you think so, [Name]?” he asked, looking down at your insecure form. “Kids just seemed to love you,” Julian added and you only nodded your head, avoiding eye contact with your boyfriend. Immediately, he picked up on your mood, shuffling both of you a little out of the way of the main street, before turning you towards him and propping his hands on your hips. “What’s wrong, my love?” he asked, worry in his expression and voice, making your heart melt from how much he cared.

“Do you think, I’ll be a good mom?” you asked blatantly.

A loud, single laugh escaped Julian’s throat before he wrapped his arms around you more tightly. “Are you kidding? You will be an amazing mom!”

“But what if I am not?” Finally, you looked up at him, your insecurity and worries clear as day written in your face. “[Name],” he started, bringing one hand up to your face and cupping your cheek with it. Instinctively, you rested your head into the big hand, listening expectantly.

“You’re not alone in this. You will be an awesome mom and I’ll be a good dad too, don’t worry about this yet.”

“Only a ‘good’ one, Julian? Really?” you snorted.

“Well, maybe a pretty good one,” he laughed, gaining a tender fist into his stomach for talking himself down again. Laughing even harder, Julian caught you in a kiss, humming blissfully into your lips.

“We’re a mess,” you pointed out in between the kisses.

“It’s okay,” he replied, planting many soft smooches all over your face and making you giggle. “Our child will love us for it.”


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> S/O being out on a journey for a month, only to come back to a very distraught Lucio, to the point even Nadia asks them to help

“Ah, [Name].”

With flowing, graceful steps, Nadia approached you, giving you a gentle smile. Portia at her side was just as glad to see you, grinning from ear to ear as you approached the two happily. “It’s good to see you two, I am back,” you chimed, seeing them for the first time after a whole month away from Vesuvia, honestly glad that they seemed to do well even though you left them alone with your very needy boyfriend.

“We are glad to have you back. I hope you enjoyed your time in Praka, you’ll need to have some tea with me sometime soon and tell me all about it.” Giving Nadia an agreeing nod all the good memories that you had made washed over you and you looked forward to spending some time telling all of them.

“I will! How have you been doing the last few weeks? Has everything been okay with…” Letting the sentence fade out, you gestured to the huge portrait to your right, displaying the count in one of his better times. For a second you could see Nadia’s expression faltering before she got a hold of herself, giving you a rather serious look. Portia sighed heavily, speaking up before the countess could. “He has been missing you - loudly.”

“He’s been a really delicate matter to deal with,” Nadia added, hiding her mouth and leaning forward towards you, whispering a few more words in your direction. “If you could take care of his mood for a while, I think the servants would be incredibly happy.”

You only nodded, giving her an apologetic look. Even though she wasn’t putting the blame on you, you couldn’t help but feel responsible. “I will, I saw the new portraits in the entrance.” Another frown crossed Nadia’s face and she quickly said her goodbyes to you before leaving. As she had already passed you could hear the soft mumble of ‘A waste of canvases’ from under her breath, and you sighed quietly, knowing she wasn’t Lucio’s biggest fan in the first place.

________________

The soft knock on Lucio’s door made him click his tongue. He had made sure that no one was to bother him while he spent his early evening in his room, drinking some wine and trying to get into one of the books you liked so much. And yet, someone had the audacity to disturb him anyway. With a hard thud, the book landed on the ground and he swiftly emptied the glass before putting it down on the small coffee table that he also used as his leg rest.

It wasn’t enough that there was nothing enjoyable in the whole palace if you weren’t with him. Your books were boring to him and your clothes freshly washed, they didn’t even remind him of you. There was so much from you and yet there was nothing. He didn’t know how to take care of your plants, and he didn’t know how to use the stones and cards that you had left at his rooms.

There had not been enough time to paint many, many more portraits of him, or have someone make new statues for the garden. Not enough people to dance with, and Valerius too drunk to drink with. No matter how busy Lucio kept himself, it was all futile without you by his side. And now, when he finally had given up on trying to occupy himself with meaningless tasks that wouldn’t make you return faster either, he wasn’t even granted that lonely afternoon in peace.

His shoes made loud clacks as he walked to the door, ready to blow off some steam at whatever servant dared to hide behind it. Without much thought, he gripped the door handle, pulling on the heavy wood door with his mouth open ready to shout. But the words got stuck in his throat as his eyes landed on you, a soft smile crossing your lips at his sight.

You could see the gears in his brain turn as he recounted the day you had left, his arm - tense and erected to scold the servant he expected - slowly sank to the side of his body, shoulders only take a few breaths more to loosen. “[Name],” he stated, bland as the books you liked. “You’re back.”

“Missed me?” you said, taking a step forward, inspecting the inside of his room. A mess of - mostly your - things had put it into disarray, you feared it would take days to put everything back in place alone, Lucio probably not helping with that. He was still staring down at you as if he had seen a ghost. “’Did not,” he replied instinctively, his typical defensive behavior setting in.

Slinging your arms around his torso you wriggled your eyebrows at him, indicating that you could see right through his lies. Alone from how his private quarters looked, it seemed like their owner was more than a mess than they were. “Really? Nadia said you made some new paintings.”

“Those are old,” he tried to bluff himself out, finally reciprocating your hug. With something as simple as leaning into you, Lucio was hit with the emotions he had tried to deny just seconds before, the moment of confusion and shock making room for the little, happy butterflies in his stomach. When you sighed pleasantly into his hug, he could feel how the tension of the last few weeks disappeared, leaving only happiness behind. Absentmindedly, he took a deep breath, breathing in your scent which was mostly the same as he remembered, and yet a little bit different than before, and yet, it made him feel at peace to hold you like this.

“I missed you,” you whispered, combing through his velvet hair, letting your hand rest on his shoulders. “I didn’t miss you,” he replied, but you couldn’t help but chuckle as his grip on you grew stronger while he said these words.

As if he was never letting you go again.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asra and Julian who forgot their origins because of their memory loss but someday starts using Spanish word again and slowly pieces it together as their memories return suddenly. (I don't speak Spanish, but I tried!)

Asra

“¡Carajo!“ (*”Goddamnit!”)

Upon hearing their pained outcry, Asra’s head peaked downstairs, a worried look in his eyes as he scanned the situation in the shop. They were attentively rubbing their fingers over their toe, the latter free from their usual footwear. “Something wrong, [Name]?” he asked, taking the first few steps downstairs, watching his partner intently.

Their rubs and the quiet curses slowly faded out, they turned around towards the counter, placing their head into their hands. With only three steps Asra jumped down the stairs, knowing their motion too well by now to take it lightly. The usual, heavy headache hit the apprentice unprepared.

Taking them into his arms, Asra gently rubbed over their back, trying to calm down himself from the shot of adrenaline from mere seconds before. He knew exactly what they needed in this situation and that was a calm, safe environment. Muffled whines left their mouth, the pain overwhelming for their head. If they hadn’t known it any better, they’d be sure their skull was going to burst from the pressure.

“Deep breaths,” Asra reminded them, taking his own advice to help them even more.

Just as fast as they had appeared, within less than two minutes, the headaches were gone again - faster than ever before. Letting go of his partner as he felt them wriggle in his arms, Asra took a moment to look them deep into their eyes, wet and a little swollen as he found them. 

“I remember now,” they mumbled, some sobs breaking through before they could continue. Wiping away their own tears, they gripped firmly into the fabric of his shirt, trying to find some halt this way. “I remember my childhood, Asra. My childhood home, the garden, my old friends, mi familia!” (*my family)

Nodding slowly, Asra tried to comprehend their words, some of them slipping from his knowledge but all the more he couldn’t help the spark of excitement. “[Name]… That’s… Wow, I mean, what did you do?” They gave him a quirky smile before answering his question. “Stubbed my toe!”

Joining in to their giggles, Asra carefully untangled their fingers from his shirt. “How about I try to make some tea and we sit down and see what your memory can tell us?” Giving him an approving hum, Asra smiled at them turning to go back upstairs and set everything up. 

The apprentice stayed behind, wrapping up the sweeping they were doing before the accident, humming an old song that came to mind. And Asra listened to the strange tune, something he thought he could get used to.

 

Julian

“Dear, do you kno-”

Turning back towards his partner, Julian immediately dropped the book he was holding, forgetting all about the thing he was searching for. With two long strides, he was over at their side, carefully picking them away from the wall they were using as a halt. “Tell me where it hurts, [Name].” He had only looked away for a second but from the way they were slightly hunched over, it was clear as day that something was not right.

“I don’t know, my head started to hurt suddenly. It just suddenly - Ow, ouch!” Clasping their own hand over their forehead, they were dangerously close from passing out from the sudden wave of pain hitting them over and over. They didn’t need to say much more, Julian using the long limbs god gave him to pull close a chair, making sure they sat down gently before kneeling next to them.

Taking a moment to let them adjust to the sitting, he observed their breathing, taking deep, loud breaths himself to encourage them to do the same. When they finally loosened the grip on their own head, he quickly reached up to open their eyes, checking their reflexes and if there was something obviously wrong, even if Julian hope so much that it wasn’t.

“Tell me exactly where it hurts, [Name]. It’s really important to-”

Again, he found himself interrupted by their actions, their hand gently placing on top of his with which he held their head stable with. “No… No, it’s okay. It’s passing…” the mumbled slowly, the pressure disappearing in their head. “Are you sure?” Julian asked, his worried voice being more that of a friend than a doctor.

“Yeah… I-I think I saw something, Julian. From my past,” they admitted, making him raise a questioning eyebrow. “You’re past? Like a memory from your childhood?” Pulling close another chair, he took a seat across from them, cupping their hands in his. 

“Yes, like mi padre, mi madre, y mi hermano…” (*my father, my mother, and my brother)

“Wait, wait, wait!” Now it was their turn to be interrupted, the doctor trying to follow their words but having a moment of loss at the most recent ones. “Like what? [Name], that’s a different language, is that… are you…?” He couldn’t even form a complete sentence, the thoughts tumbling over each other in his own mind.

“I-I think so, Julian? These memories are not from Vesuvia, I…”

For a second, silence reigned over the two, both trying to make sense of it. “Wow, that’s amazing…” Julian finally muttered, astonishment in his eyes, though his expression was joyful. “I think we should go and tell Asra,” he eventually suggested, already up and throwing on his cape. The apprentice nodded, slowly coming to terms. 

The walk over the market wasn’t that long, but it gave them enough time to overthink the images and memories they had just retrieved. And when they remembered the refrain of an old children song, they couldn’t help themselves from humming it while Julian listened on fondly.


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MC breaking up with Lucio because they feel unloved and unappreciated, only for Lucio to eventually shop up at their shop one night, drunk and realizing his mistakes

You knew many sides of Lucio. You knew the one he showed when he was being painted for a new portrait, proud and noble. The one he put up at social events, always smiling, always great. The side of him when you two were walking through the gardens, admiring his newest order of hedge art, happy, giddy even. And the one next to him in bed, tender, vulnerable, tired.

All of them you knew because you were always there, right next to him, at all times. But where it started to sound as if it was a good place to dwell, it also started to become foul for you. 

You never got to be displayed on the portraits, he always wanted them to be about him and him alone. People would laugh about you, say bad words, giving you pitying looks at the parties. He never asked you about your opinion on his decisions, he just decided they were good. And lastly, he never stayed after he had his fun with you, too busy, not in the mood for spending the night. 

What you were to him was a mystery to you. Maybe you had never been more than a trophy on his arm and a plaything for his desires. But you had seen so much of him, finding him sitting on the steps leading up to your shop shouldn’t have surprised you as much as it did.

“What do you want, Lucio?” you asked cautiously, ready to slam the door back into his face at any second.

“[Name], hey~” he purred, standing up - or rather, wobbling upwards - and turning towards you. You were hit with a disgusting wave of alcohol coming from him, not surprised he’d face you under the influence of wine. After all, he had been so mad as you told him that you’d cut ties with him, someone as proud as he was wouldn’t allow himself to face you in any other state but a drunk one.

He made an attempt to hug you, but you only reached out one hand to keep him from entering your personal space. He stumbled backwards, not being able to withstand even the slightest of push he got from walking right into your hand, a hurt expression appearing on his face. “What do you want, Lucio?” you repeated your question, more stern this time. You wanted him to leave, it was too early in the day to start it with such a disaster.

“What do I want, what do I want,” he parrotted you, closing his mouth quickly as you shot him a silenting glare. “I am here for you, obviously.” His explanation left much to desired, but the words made you sick in the stomach anyway. “We are done, Lucio. You don’t just come to my doorstep and pull your egoistical child’s play. Go bother someone who cares.”

You were about to slam the door back into it’s frame, keeping him out of your life for good this time, but before you could get that far, he pushed his foot into the gap, keeping you from closing the door. There was a small wince from his side though you couldn’t really care less, facing him a little bit more angry this time. At least he took a step back again too, leaving you some space to breath.

“Lucio, I said-”

“I know!” he shouted, his voice echoing through the mostly empty street on that moment, adding another much quieter, “I heard you…” at the end of it. “I am here to apologize, okay?” he asked and even though the hint of anger in his voice was prominent, it was more like a question really. As if he needed your permission to say sorry. “Can I… can I just come in, it’s no good standing here and-”

“No,” you cut him off, crossing your arms in front of your chest. “No, you cannot come in. If you got to say something, say it right here.” You too had noticed the few people that had started their day, looking at the count in your doorway as they passed, some curious, some with disgust in their face. There were also some onlookers in the windows of the houses in the street, but you couldn’t care less. 

Lucio got visibly upset about it, nervously looking side to side and using a lowered voice as he proceeded to speak to you. “I am sorry okay? That’s what you want to hear right?” His lips curled into a soft smile, proud of himself and jumping over his own shadow to apologize. “I didn’t treat you right and I should have considered your feelings more. But you can come back now, I will make it right now.”

For a moment you let his words play through your mind, picking them apart while trying to think about what to say. You didn’t want to forgive all those nights he had made you feel worthless and little, the nights you cried and the nights you broke down because of the pressure on you. “I am not sure if you even know why I really left.”

“[Name], look. Look,” he immediately responded, trying to approach you again. But instead he accidentally slipped, one knee hitting the ground while the other was placed firmly on the step to your store. Even though you instictively had reached out to him, he only raised his hands - one flesh, one shining metal - not touching you. Kneeling in front of you he gave you his puppy eyes as he looked up, lips pursed and silver eyes shining in the currently rising sun.

“I know-” he stopped himself, taking a deep breath. “I know I have some faults, but I really want this to work out. I can’t stop thinking about you, I smell your shampoo everywhere, everything is so dull without you, it’s driving me insane!” Slowly, Lucio brought his hands together in a praying position, robbing a few inches closer to your legs.

“Look, you got me on my knees in front of you, [Name]. I’d do everything, just come back okay? We’ll do it better this time, I will make you happy, let me prove it.” The words seemed to stream out of him, robbing him of his breath and ending in him having to take a few deep ones to calm the rage he was talking himself into.

Desperation seemed to spread in him as you stood there, dumbfounded over what kind of show he was delivering. He reached out his hands, and even through the fabric of your trousers you felt the warmth difference in them, though admittedly, even his human hand wasn’t as warm as it maybe should have been.

“Is that not enough? Tell me what you want, a new shop? Your own palace? Servants? Diamonds? You’ll get all of it and more, just come back now yeah?”

“Lucio, how long have you been out here, your hands are ice cold…”

“It doesn’t matter how long, I’ll sit here for hours more if I have to. Oh, won’t you come back to me, please [Name], please.”

You sighed inwardly. There was no way to leave all of what he had put you through behind yet, but you could barely look him into the eyes without feeling at least pity for him. “Come in, Lucio,” you finally muttered, holding out your hand to help him up. Surprisingly, he had enough strength to pull himself up from the ground without your help, holding on to your hands tightly anyway. 

“I’ll do it right this time you’ll see,” he promised, a wide smile spreading over his lips as he pressed in close to you, stumbling inside with you.

“It doesn’t mean anything yet, Lucio. You just need to get out of the cold for now, you’re shivering.”

“You are absolutely right, my love.” That was probably the first time he agreed wholeheartedly with you, though you were not surprised - again, it was about him. “But I-”, he started, interrupting himself before yanking you back a little by the hand. Being caught off-guard you let yourself be twirled around in his arms, one of them hooking behind your waist and pulling you extremely close. 

“I don’t mind sitting outside for another night if it’s for you.”


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julian taking care of his s/o who has chronical migraines that are too bad to do anything sometimes

“Love, I thought you’d stay in bed today?”

Julian didn’t go unnoticed as he climbed up the stairs of the shop, having just finished his shift at the small clinic next door. However, he tried his best to keep as silent as possible, knowing what pain you were fighting. He couldn’t help the worried expression on his face as he caught you standing at the stove, boiling water for tea.

“Ah, yes. Just wanted to see if tea helps…” you whispered. There was a soft breeze coming in from the window at the back wall of building, and Julian sighed deeply as it tossled through his clothes and hair. He shuffled off his unpractical doctor robes, walking over to the window and pulling the curtain over it, allowing the wind to come in but darkening the room quite a bit.

“I thought we talked about this, and as your practitioning doctor I really need you to listen to my advice.” Whining lightly, you raised your hand to signal him to be calmer, not being able to endure a lecture for him this time. Julian immediately shut his mouth, however, walked up to you, giving you a steady hand in returning to the bed - reluctantly and from his urges.

You loved him with all your might and even though it was an annoying habit, when it came to your health he was desperate to remind you he’s a doctor. Even though he just wanted the best, it was an bottomless argument you two had have so many times now and you felt like complying this time was the only option you got with your head being on the verge of bursting.

“I have a new idea,” he practically purred, hurting you less than his sometimes overdramatic speech-voice. Julian was quick to take the teakettle off the stove before it could make the awful squeeching sound it would normally do, quietly asking the salamander to shut the fire down. Graciously, he poured you a cup of tea while you watched through squinted eyes.

It was already very dark in the room but his features were beautifully lit by the last gleams of fire from the stove and you felt a little better just seeing him in his natural beauty. However, you couldn’t help but notice him fiddling with a piece of fabric on the counter, pouring the hot water on it.

Bringing you both the tea and the fabric, he set the hot drink down next to the bed, inching close to sit on the edge of the furniture. “Let’s try this,” he mumbled, helping you forward a little and slinging the wet cloth around your neck. “Maybe the warmth will ease the tension a little,” he explained to you, before helping you to settle back in.

Just then a sting of pain hit you again, making you scrunch your face in pain, Julian immediately fussing to help. “Too hot?” he asked, waiting patiently until you had taken some deep breaths. Slowly you started to relax, sinking back into the cushions and closing your eyes. “No, it’s okay now,” you replied, feeling how his hand enveloped yours, drawing small circles over it tenderly.

“Try to sleep some more,” he suggested quietly, the warmth of his hand lingering as the only indication of his closeness.

Julian didn’t mind to spend his night on a chair next to the bed, only really napping through the night as he watched over you, frequently placing a new warm cloth on your body whenever he woke up again. He’d have done anything for you to feel better, but alone with his thoughts, he decided to console you more in the future, feeling like he was pushing his knowledge of medicine on to you maybe a little too much.


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucio finding out that the apprentice has been his love back in his clan by finding a memento he had given them before.

Carefully, he let the metal trinket twist and turn in his hands, the coldness of it quickly warming up in his hand. Lucio admired the delicate engravings, a display of wealth and good taste. Every little twine and leaf of the small flowers, he felt with his fingers as he brushed them over the locket and every time he turned it, the little chain rustled into the movement. Not an unpleasant sound in his ears.

It was so different from the jewels he offered to his friends now, the locket so much simpler and yet, amazingly well crafted. Certainly, it was no masterpiece like most of the art he displayed in his castle but it held so much more worth than every striking pose he managed to put on a canvas. For someone to possess something like this they must have used up a good amount of money to get their hands on it. Money they didn’t have.

But Lucio had only needed two cows and the first pelt of a bear he had ever put down in his life.

In fact, he would have recognized this locket anywhere. He got a good scolding for selling off so many valuable resources for a necklace, after all. For a few days, his mom had left him go hungry, making sure he learned the consequences of his actions. But it had all be worth it when he saw the shine on his childhood friend’s face when he gifted the trinket to them. 

Everything would have been endurable if it was for them, even worse punishments than the loss of food. To see them smile, to have them hug him and tell him they’d love him forever, it was far more than he ever wanted. Maybe if they had stayed in the clan, his life wouldn’t have taken a turn to what had happened. But he was a count now, who was he to complain?

Lucio didn’t need to turn around when he heard the door to their chambers opening, to know it was them who stood in the doorway and stared at him funnily. He took one last look at the inside of it, running his finger down the parchment paper inside, before shutting the locket with a small ‘click’.

“Lucio?” Hearing his name prompted him to at least get up from the ground where he kneeled in front of their bag. It was obvious that this wasn’t going to be a pleasant talk from the moment they saw the chain dangling from his hand. Slowly, he turned towards him, almost gently brushing the chain over his hand, holding the locket steadily in his fist.

“Lucio, be careful that is very important to me…” the almost whispered, looking at the little bit of gold they could make out against his pale skin.

“Why did you leave?” he asked, his voice a mix of a disgusted and hurt growl.

“Why did I… What?” they asked in return, surprise and confusion written all over their expression.

“Leave!” he hissed back, shaking his fist into their direction with the chain dangling wildly from it.

“Lucio, I don’t know what you mean…”

“You promised, [Name]! You said you loved me and would stay by my side forever!”

There was a moment of silence between the two, the confusion and anger hanging heavily in the air. “But I don’t remember…” they finally whispered, tears welling up in their eyes as they looked down at the ground. They felt how important this conversation was, especially for Lucio who was fuming by now, his emotions getting the better of him. But no matter how hard they tried, only their body remembered that it had once been very dear to them, so they never managed to sell it or give it away. Their mind didn’t know what it was anymore.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he tried to calm himself, feeling the little locket crack lightly under the pressure of his hand. Irritated, he opened up his fist, examining it. There was a slight crack in the body, not enough to break the locket, but visible. The anger dispersed immediately, as shock washed over Lucio, carefully, he tried to open it again, only to find it stuck closed now.

“I… I didn’t want that…”  
Finally, they looked up at him again, coming closer to him to examine the locket themselves. But as much as they tried, it wouldn’t even budge for them and they let out a long sigh. Wiping away some tears stuck in their eyes, they examined the little metal necklace for a bit, before looking up at the count tenderly.

“It’s okay, Lucio. It doesn’t matter.”

By now he was a mere ghost of himself, quiet and anxious. His expression burned with shock and body tense like a kicked puppy. He looked even paler than before, his eyes had lost their usual strong shine. In fact, he looked as if he was going to pass out any second by now, so they did what they thought was the right thing to comfort him.

“I don’t know a person whose name starts with ‘M’ anyway like it says on the inside. It was just a pretty trinket.”

He nodded slowly, his heart set out for a few beats. They put the locket away on their desk, not noticing how Lucio tried to piece the last few words together. “Right,” he muttered finally.

He didn’t want them to remember Montag anyway. Right?


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> S/O having a huge argument with Lucio and leaving for a while to get their mind off of things, only to return to a clingy and possessive Lucio

Dread hung over their mood as they walked through the long hallways in the palace, their shoes tapping over the marble ground. Admittedly, the had thought about just staying at the shop and have a sleepover with Asra. It had been too much of a bother in their opinion to go back but their magician friend had convinced them that by now the argument that they had must have already died out.

And yet, the knot in their stomach told them otherwise because at least for them, it wasn’t over. Even though the two of them probably had worse arguments like the one that had happened the very same morning, it still had left a deep impact on Lucio’s lover which was only increased by the anxiety of facing him again. What were they going to say? How would he react? Was he still upset?

Then again, it was not like he had a reason to be upset. After all, it had been him who had spouted hurtful nonsense at them, not the other way around. If anything, they had all the rights to be angry and still yell at him should he not apologize for his behavior. Alone the thought of his words and his shouting put them back into the angry, hurt state they had fled the scene with. Not their best move, but the only they could think of at that moment.

Yet, here they were again. At the door to his bedroom, in the dark, cold corridor of the west wing. They were better than that argument, they told themselves, taking a few deep breaths to calm down, first the anger, then the anxiety. Knocking at the heavy wooden door, they waited for an answer and waited, and waited a bit longer. But there was no response.

Unsure if they should turn around and walk away or enter without permission, they reminded themselves that they had more than just permission to go inside. After all, it was partly their room too. So turning the knob, they opened it a gap, peeking inside, only to find it lit, but not occupied. Curious, they walked inside, inspecting the candles and looking at the bed, wondering if Lucio was asleep. However, there was no sign of him, even though the candles were new and freshly lit even.

“Lucio?” they called out for him, holding their breath as they tried to listen intently if anything was returning the call. And indeed, it was followed by loud clattering and cursed coming from the en suite bathroom. Only seconds later, a dripping wet Lucio emerged from the door, huffing as if he was out of breath. He hadn’t even taken the time to cover up with a towel as he approached them.

From the look in his face, they could watch an interesting movie of emotions, first annoyed, then relieved, then irritated. They met him head on, trying to avoid looking lower than his shoulders just out of respect, but he didn’t so much mind them seeing what he had to offer. 

“Where have you been?” was his first question right of the batch. He looked away for a second, noticing one of the satin sheets on the bed next to him and wrapping it lazily around his hips. The floor was soaked, and they figured he had just jumped out of the bathtub the moment he heard them. 

“At the shop, I needed a change of scenery,” they mumbled, putting down their bag next to the door and taking off their coat. All that while Lucio almost came close, almost uncomfortably so, considering his hair was still dripping water drops everywhere. 

“And why there? Why didn’t you go to the garden or something?”

They shook their head at him in irritation, not knowing what to say to that. “I just- Lucio look I needed to just get out and get my head off things okay?” He replied with a snippy click of his tongue. “Of course you did. It wasn’t like you wanted to see Asra, I am sure, [Name].”

“What? No! What are you talking about?” Lucio rolled his eyes at them while they passed by him, walking into the bathroom while trying to avoid stepping into one of the puddles. By now they weren’t even sure if they were angry or annoyed at him. “You’re such a child,” they remarked, knowing fully well he followed them like a dog from room to room.

“At least I don’t run off to my babysitter at the first taste of conflict!” They let out an appalled gasp, turning around to look at him before returning to wash their hands. “Do you even realize what you are saying? If you weren’t so much out for conflict, we wouldn’t even have this problem!”

“What problem even, [Name]! I don’t have a problem, you are the one who keeps on nagging about… about things!” That was enough to turn their attention back at him, approaching him with little to no steps and tapping against his exposed chest in a scolding manner. 

“Excuse me? You were the one to start yelling about… you know… About what you were yelling!”

“You don’t even remember!” he snarled at them.

“You don’t either!” they hissed back.

By now, both of them were huffing, breathing becoming hard when their emotions hit them like this, and their eyecontact unbroken by either too. In their own paces, it slowly began to dawn on them, that it had been a completely unnecessary argument, which they couldn’t even remember. 

Eventually, it was Lucio who looked away first, followed by their eyes adverting too, head hung in shame. With his hand he reached up to brush his hair out of his face, water flooding down his skin as he shoved it out of the strands. The quietness soon got unbearable to stand for either of them. 

“You should go get a towel or something…” they remarked, noticing how the water started to collect at his feet again. “Don’t tell me what to do,” he replied, a little too forceful to believe he really meant it as mean as it sounded. Lucio turned around and out their sight, unwrapping himself out of the sheet before stomping back into the large bathtub and sinking into the water up to his nose. 

Bopping out of the water for another moment, he commented, “You can tell Asra what to do if you like ordering people around so much!” and sinking back under again, adverting his glare. They sighed deeply, rubbing their temples. “You’re such a child, Lucio.” 

“Stop calling me that!” he replied, starting to cough as he accidentally swallowed some water.

They started to take off their clothes under his watchful eyes - after he recovered from the coughing fit - dipping their toes into the water the moment after. “What are you doing?” he asked. “I could need a bath too,” they answered, sinking in the still warm water. Immediately, they could feel their tense muscles relaxing, the herbs that were soaked in the water doing wonders on their strained mind.

Eventually, they settled at a spot, feeling how the water got disturbed by Lucio’s movements as he approached them. His arm around their hips was pleasant, as was his chest against their back as he pressed closer. His head found its halt on their shoulder, eyes slowly shutting when they pressed their palm against his cheek and brushed some hair out of his face.

There were no words to be spoken anymore. Eventually, they would have to sort out the problems they had but for the moment, they craved the peace that laid between them. Lucio lifted his chin softly behind their shoulder, kissing along the nape of their neck before placing some more against their temple when they took a deep breath, he did the same, reading himself to put his yelling down if it was for them.


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asra getting upset because the MC falls in love with Lucio and getting into an argument with them

“He won’t know, love.” Lucio’s voice was flirtatious, yet calming. His hand held theirs so naturally, even when he led it to his face, making sure they touched him even if they were hesitant. “You do love me, yes?” he asked them. Lucio looked so beautiful in the lights that twinkled above their heads, the old tree keeping them hidden from the views of the palace.

Oh, how much they loved the little well in the gardens of Lucio’s home. It made them feel so at peace and happy to be here. And he was right, they did love him, just why were they so concerned about the opinion of Asra. “I do, Lucio. I just-” they were cut off by the cold feeling of his metal arm shooting up to place a finger on their lips, silencing them. “You don’t need to do anything. You don’t even have to see him anymore if it brings you sorrow.”

He made a long pause after his words, letting his finger brush down their skin and neck until eventually, a pleased sigh escaped him. “You and I against the rest of the world, right?” They thought about his words, slowly nodding and coming clean with their own thoughts. “Right,” they agreed, leaning forward to his smirking face and aiming for a kiss.

With a small ‘clack’ the little compass fell out of Asra’s hand. He didn’t need it to know where they were. No matter what, it always pointed to the palace. It always pointed to where their heart was drawn to. Even if they never said a word, their thoughts were always with the count, they were always so far from their own home.

Maybe it was what he deserved. His chances had run out when he had left them to die in this awful city. But still, how was it fair that they’d throw themselves onto the next best enemy they had? Lose their mind and body to someone as wrong and awful as Lucio, was that really what their destiny had told them to do?

Even when Asra was right there for them no matter what?

Getting up from the ground next to the bed, he wobbled over to the window of the shop, starring out on the night scenery of Vesuvia. What was it that would draw them so much to Lucio’s side? The riches? The parties? If that was what they wanted, maybe Asra should have taken them more often to the well in palace’s garden, sitting under the big tree that he had devoted to them such a long time ago. Maybe it would have made them love Asra if all they wanted were the pretty things in life.

They had always been so content with their shop, ever since they came back from the dead. Working hard and having fun with Asra and the clients, taking care of the inventory and reading the tarot. Where had these times gone? Had they been all in vain the moment that Lucio entered their life? What was there to like about the self-centered maniac, especially like more than on Asra?

Was it all his fault, was he too simple? Too distant? Had Lucio comforted them in all the times Asra had gone on a journey? He could not think of any other possible reason, and it drove him mad not to know. Because now that he had returned from one more journey, why was he all alone with his thoughts again.

The clicking of the doors unlocking, tore Asra out of his thoughts, a hint of excitement rising in his chest until he heard their snickering, followed by a lower, teasing mumble. “Lucio, we are just getting some things.” Were you leaving? “Why not everything?” Was he taking you away somewhere? “You shouldn’t keep living here in this hut.” Their awkward laugh followed, the conversation seemingly finding an end as they didn’t want to give their life up yet, while Lucio had other plans.

Asra heard the steps - he would have recognized theirs anywhere - as the two of them came up the stairs, seemingly not noticing him in the dark. “[Name],” he called out to them, their body flinching as they got scared by his sudden presence. Even with only the window shedding light into the room, he could make out the shock in their expression and the grim scowl of Lucio who came up behind them.

“Lucio,” Asra continued his calling out, feeling like a parent who just found their teenager sneaking into their house with their lover.

“Asra! I didn’t know you were back! I- uhm, we were just-”

“Getting some things,” Lucio finished their sentence, setting a strong example. “Where are you going?” Asra asked, simple question, but the impact would be huge. They stuttered a little, playing with the hem of their shirt and avoiding his eyes that were strictly fixated on them. “I-We… I mean- We are just…”

“[Name]’s going to live with me for a while,” Lucio answered for them, going ahead and picking up random things he could find in the dark, without being able to know who it really belonged to and just wildly throwing things over his arm. “Why? This is the perfect home for you,” Asra pointed out, keeping the conversation strictly to MC.

They didn’t know why but his words and presence hit them hard. They were barely able to do anything or say something, a mix of guilt and regret going through them while Lucio kept searching for their stuff without a care in the world. “I don’t think you should leave, [Name],” Asra finally admitted, pushing himself away from the window and approaching them.

Even though his hand was held out towards them, he didn’t get as far as to touch them, his limb being slapped away painfully before he could reach them. “What is your problem, Asra?” Lucio hissed at him while tugging his s/o behind him. The magician could only muster the dirtiest glance into the count’s direction, his words as cutting as his feeling for Lucio.

“You. You are. They shouldn’t be with someone like you, Lucio.”

They could hear Lucio take a sharp breath at the accusations. “Listen to me, [Name]! He’s no good, he’ll use and throw you away when you don’t suit him anymore!” Asra tried to go back to them, talking some sense into them if he had to, but Lucio wouldn’t let him even have a look at them, shielding them with his own body.

“Stop acting like a monkey, Asra. Just because they don’t want to be with you doesn’t mean they can’t be with me.”

Asra’s eyes glared daggers at Lucio for pointing out his obvious feelings for them, while a small, self-sufficient smile appeared on Lucio, knowing he had hit close to home. “[Name] you can’t be serious. Please tell me that this is not what you want, to be stuck with this asshole?” Though his words sounded like a question, his tone of voice was so harsh, it felt like slaps to them, and they gave him a shy look from behind Lucio.

“But I love him…” they muttered, feeling as if they had to justify their decision of being with Lucio. The count could feel their hands clawing into his clothes, clearly uncomfortable with the situation and scared by the growing anger Asra radiated. “I can’t believe that… What did you do to them, Lucio?” Asra screamed, directing it back at Lucio who watched him, unimpressed.

“Nothing, they love me out of their own will, Asra. You can’t control them after all.”

Lucio turned slowly, bringing them up to his side and pushing them into the direction of the stairs as Asra watched on in shock. “[Name], you can’t be serious, you can’t just leave now!”

“Oh god, Asra!” Lucio groaned finally. Even his s/o flinched with the sudden growl from the count, making Asra take a step back defensively too. “Get over it, you look like a tantrum-throwing child!” They let out some muffled sobs from the first few stairs, directing Asra’s attention to them. “I am so sorry…” the mumbled. Their both words hit hard as Asra realized how he was acting and what was going on. Never had he ever screamed at them or bring them close to tears before.

He gave the MC a pleading look from his eyes, though they adverted their head, rushing down the staircase with Lucio tailing them too after scoffing at the magician one last time. Asra could only stand their dumbfounded, listening to the door falling back into the locks and the distant sobbing from outside as they boarded the carriage. The clacking of hoves was the last thing he heard of them, slowly sinking to his knees as he realized the meaning of all this.

No matter what arguments he would bring up, they had long made their decision.

They knew about his feelings, and yet…

They still wouldn’t come back to him.


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MC catching the plague from Lucio and keeping away as to not strain him more, only for him to confront them and find out they will die

It had been too long since your last visit, at least if you asked the count. He would have never admitted it to the likes of Nadia or the servants who pointed out his restless behavior, but while he had amused himself very well for the first two, it had gotten lonely without you on every following night. Lucio never had the patience nor the understanding of why things weren’t like he wanted them to be. He felt like it was your duty to be by his side, especially in these dire times.

When he stepped out of the carriage, he couldn’t help but cough, the fumes of the city too much for his weakened lung. He was the count, he didn’t care if his coughs could make someone sick, especially with the cause of the plague still unclear, or well, not something he wanted to listen too. But he did care about his image, so even though his legs were tired and bothered by every step, he made his way to the front door of your shop as quick as possible.

Maybe he should have been surprised to find the door unlocked and the shop empty. It was a bit of a nagging feeling in the back of his mind - very annoying how Lucio found - but he couldn’t figure out why he was so bothered by the absence of the usual shopkeeper. If only Asra had been present, it might have prepared Lucio for what was to come.

He yelled out your name once, and one more time for good measure. As good as he could and with a continuous streak of coughing he checked out the ground floor of the shop, but was left with no trace of you. It was strange, for you were no one to leave the shop as dusty as it was. The air seemed to stand still inside, smelling stuffy and like dry grass, unpleasant in the count’s sensitive nose.

It was as if you hadn’t been taking care of your favorite place on earth. As if you couldn’t have been taking care of it.

The way up to the first floor was an ugly ascent, one that made the count huff and puff. He knew he wasn’t in the best form ever since contracting the plague, but with his determination as fuel, he made it up anyhow. He was more than glad to reach the end of the staircase, seeing white sheets slowly and vaguely moving up and down from his position.

Ah yes, there you were. How selfish of you to just sleep while he had to come all the way to you. Weren’t you supposed to be the one by his side in these dire times? When he finally managed to get over the last step he was hit by another coughing fit, the air hanging even worse in this room than downstairs. He stumbled to the window, tearing it open in an attempt to get some air, wondering about the conditions you were living in.

The rumbling must have awakened you as Lucio heard the sheets rustle behind him while he was still coughing out his lungs, trying to get some air in them without instantly spitting the oxygen out again. “Lucio?” your voice called out to him, nothing more than a croaking of your throat. It was followed by your own coughs, even more heartily than his own.

Even in a condition as worse as he was in, his first reaction was to snap at you. How dare you stayed at home, leaving him alone. How could you do this to your own lover? All these thoughts were going through his mind in rapid thoughts while he turned around, seeing you buckling over coughing. Even though you held your hands before your mouth, it didn’t stop some drops of the blood that you had coughed up escaping between your fingers.

Your skin was obscenely red, maybe so because it was like leather, you being dehydrated for a while now. Lucio just stared at your form while you coughed an coughed, trying to take deep breaths in between only for more coughs to erupt. When you finally looked up at him, there were tears in your eyes, though he couldn’t determine if they were from coughing so much or because you felt ashamed to face him like this.

But what was most prominent were your eyes.

This biting, stinging, terrible, catastrophic red.

Just like his eyes were.

“Oh, [Name], no…” Lucio muttered as he came closer. You were so much more gone than he was. At the point of no return. The end of your journey.

“I didn’t want you to see me like this…” you mumbled, catching some more blood that left your mouth. “I thought it was better to stay away.”

Your eyes couldn’t see sharp enough anymore to see the wave of emotions he was going through, but it would have shattered your heart to see the change of disgust, dread, pity, pain, and realization in it. He didn’t ask as he took off his shoes, climbing in bed next to you.

He couldn’t bear to see you like this, Something that had been his fault, a weight he couldn’t bear. So he turned you to your side, spooning you from behind. If the last thing he could do was hold you in his arms, then that was what he was going to do. Even if it was going to kill him along with you.


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julian walking in on his s/o reading some smutty book.

“Love, I’m home!” Julian called out to them as he entered the shop. They recognized his presence with a small, “Uh-hu,” not looking up from the book they were reading. The events in their newest story to read had just taken an unexpected event, catching their attention completely, even though their lover had just come home and was ready for some attention from them himself.

“I’m home,” he repeated, his head popping up from the staircase and his eyes scanning from them until he found them curled together on the bed. “Having a good read?” Julian asked, approaching them and leaning down to kiss their head, running his hands over their thighs and up their hips towards the sides of their body. 

“Yes…” they mumbled, still ignoring his growing advances. But by now, even Julian noticed that their thoughts were far from reality, bound to the story they were reading. So he did the only logical thing for a man with needs: Pushing off his shoes and climbing into bed with them, legs too long to fit the smaller frame of the amenity. But not that he minded when he entangled his legs with theirs anyway.

Spooning them from behind - his s/o’s body fitting right back into him -, he propped his head on their shoulder, having decided to spare some glances into the book before taking a nap. Though he was quick to fell wide awake again as he read the content of it. “Yes, more, please…” he mumbled into his s/o’s ear, finally catching all of their attention. 

They were about to shut the book in a hurry, but Julian was a little quicker, putting his finger between the pages so they couldn’t close it. “Ah-ah, not so fast,” he announced, pulling away from them and with him, the book out of their hands. His s/o could only gasp in embarrassment, trying to retrieve the collection of words while Julian got up and away from them quicker than they had ever seen him leave them before.

His face was adorned with a knowing grin as he quickly read the passages of love in the book, his s/o finally jumping out of bed and following him through the room. “Oh, [Name] ~” he purred, easily avoiding their attempts to snatch the book back. “Oh, this is so dirty ~”

“Julian give it back!” they demanded, face reddening with every inch that his smile grew. Only a deep laugh escaped him as he flipped to the next page, completely oblivious to their struggles. Though soon enough he put his large arms around them again, binding their movements by keeping them close no matter how much the wiggled. After only so many seconds passing, and a few approving hums leaving his throat they could hear the book closing shut.

Next thing they knew, Julian had thrown the book on the table in the middle of the room and captured their lips with his own, running his thumb over their cheek tenderly. “I didn’t know you were into such erotic literature,” she mumbled in between some airy smooches. They could feel their ears heating up a little more but didn’t respond to his teasing, instead burying their fingers in his shirt. 

Julian led them over to the bed again, sinking down with them and pulling them onto his lap, their legs straddling him. Even without so much as making-out, they could feel the erected bulge in his trousers, twitching against their sex. He didn’t waste much time with their clothes since both of them knew what was going to happen anyway, pulling them off with the accuracy of his fingers, something that had always proven good in his job before. 

Trailing his hands down their shoulders and breasts, Julian finally let go of their mouth, both of them catching their breaths for a second. By now there was a visible flush on Julian’s cheeks too but the cocky smile remained on his lips even when he leaned down to kiss both their nipples. Something he liked doing before applying more pressure like nibbling and licking the sensitive skin at the peak of their breasts. 

Throwing their head back and leaving him more room to play, they clawed their fingers into his thighs, applying more pressure whenever he hit a sweet spot of theirs. Just as much they received the confirmation that what they were doing was right, his cock growing harder against their wettening sex and low groans leaving his throat. 

Julian was a simple man and easy to satisfy, they had him at their mercy when they finally decided it was time to move on. With a hand in his hair, they tugged him backwards to which he gladly responded appropriately, their hips grinding into his while the smirk was finally replaced by a sinful display of urges in his expression.

They slipped down one hand to his groin, pushing his trousers away and freeing the aching sex that laid beneath it. His cock stood upright without much preparation left to do and Julian was a great help in pushing away their clothes and panties, the two finally coming together skin against skin. His s/o couldn’t help the little bit of teasing as they took his length between their folds, sliding up and down his member, making sure it was lubricated enough for entering them.

“Oh love, please don’t make me wait for it,” he begged, willingly giving himself up to their mercy, even though Julian couldn’t help the several buckles of his hips against them. But it was all in vain until they placed him at their hole, slowly sliding his tip in. It was then, that he really couldn’t take it anymore, urging himself into them until he filled them completely, only to let out a long, guttural moan as their walls pulsated against him.

“You really shouldn’t read books that don’t belong to you if they make you so perky, Julian,” they reprimanded him, huffing as they felt his cock twitch inside of them. “Y-Yeah, I really shouldn’t…” His s/o pinned him down to the mattress, rolling their hips provocatively on top of him, gaining some more approving moans from him.

“Are you sorry?” they asked him, pinning his legs down with their owns so he had a hard time pumping into them on his own. Julian bit his lips, knowing very well what they wanted to hear from him, but feeling a little embarrassed while also wanting to fuck them so badly.

“Yes, yes I am very sorry for reading the book. I shouldn’t have!” he finally admitted when he couldn’t take the pressure of their pussy squeezing his member anymore. Yet, they took their sweet time to release him from his restricted position, pushing themselves up and down his cock again before he could start pressing his hips into their on his own.

But once they gave him enough freedom, it was over with his patience, Julian sitting up and embracing them tightly. He flipped their two bodies around on the mattress, laying them down in his arms while also immediately pushing himself back into them, making both mouths moan in unison. He put the right pressure onto them, allowing their arms to wrap around him tightly and stimulate him by running their nails along his shoulders.

It was almost too easy to bring Julian down to a gasping, flushed mess but they couldn’t help but enjoy his whispers of their name and little confessions of his devotion into their ear. Steadily their own orgasm build up inside of them, their walls closing in around his cock while his own thrusts became more irrational.

They crossed their legs behind his back as he lifted their lower back from the cushions, allowing him to go even deeper in for his final thrusts, accompanied by a well-deserved shudder from his s/o when they reached their peaks. “Oh god, [Name]!” he babbled in the midst of his spurts, pulling out while still ejaculating, his semen dripping down their thighs and stomach soon after. 

Julian could only hold his body over theirs for so long before sliding to the side and letting loose of the tension, huffing and catching his breath. “This never gets old,” he mumbled, a smile crossing his lips again, the afterglow hitting his pale-skinned form beautifully. “Maybe I should read more books then…” his s/o teased back. 

“Definitely,” he purred, closing in the distance to their lips and earning another sweet kiss with them.


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The s/o tending to Asra after the fight with Muriel in the Arena

“Ouch!”

No matter how tough and carefree Asra tried to give himself, the moment you brought down the handkerchief with the disinfecting alcohol on it, he flinched hard in his chair, making you stay back a little. “Sorry,” you muttered, biting your own lip, before bringing your free hand up to his arm and rub over it calmingly.

“Can I try again?” you asked after a few seconds, giving him some time to recover from the sting. He had brought up his hand to his lips, trying to contain the pain, but when you spoke up he immidiately lowered it again, wiping some blood off his fingertips. “Of course, thank you.” 

Even more than before you tried to be careful, dabbing the soaked cloth around his mouth first, wiping away the stream of blood. Turning it around you started getting closer to the original wound, watching Asra tense visibly, his teeth clenching behind his lips but he didn’t flinch this time like he did before. You really had wanted it to be over but whenever you dabbed the blood away, more seemed to appear, making the whole thing longer than it should have taken. 

When the bleeding finally stopped and you could retrieve your hand, Asra let out a relieved sigh, bringing up his hands to feel the wound but stopping when you touched his wrist. “Don’t get it dirty again,” you explained, worry in your eyes as you looked at him.

Though the moment you voiced your concern, his original serious expression softened, the wrinkles that he had on his forehead ever since the fight disappearing. Instead of touching his own lip, he reached towards you, propping your chin onto his hand and bringing his thumb up to your lips. You didn’t push him away as he drew over them with his finger, admiring their beautiful shape and texture for a second.

“You’re right, thank you for patching me up.” 

Before you could stop him, he leaned forward, catching you in a kiss. It didn’t last very long, but the handful of seconds were enough to open up the wound again, letting blood appear on top of his lip. You couldn’t help a small gasp to escape you, inching closer to tend to the wound again, though his hand on your face prevented you from it. “What are you doing, Asra?” you asked worried.

“Just getting the best medicine there is,” he replied, a wide smile appearing on his lips before he let go of you, letting you tend to him once more.


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucio and male!s/o having angry sex after an argument

“I didn’t.”

Another kiss, ravaging his mouth and dipping deep in with his own tongue.

“Oh, you did, you little-” 

There was no time for dirty talk as Lucio got turned around, his lover straddling his hips while also breaking away from the kiss. Both parties were huffing as their eyes met in a stare-down, ending in Lucio’s lips curling up in a mischievous grin. “You don’t really think you get to lie to me and get away without punishment.”

“Well, I do think you are being overdramatic and an idiot- Ouf!” He didn’t get to speak out as Lucio pushed himself up and flung both of them over, his lover ending up below him. “As if you didn’t like it,” he remarked, his hands curling tightly around his lover’s wrists as he leaned down again to kiss him. There was an almost animalistic hiss that came from his mouth as the sting set in, causing Lucio to straighten his back a little and glaring down at him. 

“Feisty today, are we?” he asked sarcastically, bringing his boyfriend’s arms under his metal hand to hold him down while he wiped away the blood bubble that formed on his lips. “Can’t believe you’d bite me.”

“Well…” Lucio’s s/o started bringing up a foot to Lucio’s hips before giving pushing it down into his loins, feeling the bulge in Lucio’s pants already. “And yet you get so turned on from it.” There was a growl originating from Lucio’s throat in response, his face scornful. “You’re such a handful,” he scoffed back.

Lucio didn’t so much listen to more complains of his lover, proceeding to slip of the pants that stood between them, where a perfectly erect penis waited to be tended to. With a now self-assured smirk, Lucio let his fingers glide over his boyfriend’s member, teasing the tip a little by rolling his thumb over it. “Looking down at me, never at yourself, huh?” he remarked, making sure to grip on to the limb tightly. 

“Goddamnit, Lucio…”

“Ah, ah, ah, don’t curse me.” His lover gave an exasperated roll of his eyes, though the pleasure of having his cock stroked soon enough overtook his expression. Lucio couldn’t help but revel in the dreamy look in his boyfriend’s eyes, keeping his hand in motion for a while longer to see it. Having him writhe underneath his touch was enough for the count to give up on the power play, knowing that it had been proven who was in charge, releasing the hands he was pinning down.

A soft moan escaped his lips as Lucio propped his lover’s hips onto his legs, making the way free to his behind. In his field of view, Lucio brought up his metallic hand, licking it forebodingly while he watched, only to bring it around his hips again and to their behind.

It was nothing new to him, having Lucio use his arm while having sex, though it was an undeniable different sensation to have one of those fingers participate. Admittedly, Lucio never was one for long foreplay and expected that after all the times the two of them laid together, his s/o would be much more accustomed to him yet. But still, as he pushed his first digit into his ass, it was a feeling as new as daylight. 

His cock twitching in Lucio’s hand, the count’s grin widened, a melodic hum escaping him. “Still as into it as the first time we did it, huh?” he teased, pushing a little further to please him more. “Oh, will you just shut up?” his lover hissed back, gaining an even wider smirk for Lucio.

“You love listening to me, Baby ~” Lucio purred, spending some well-deserved time with preparing his lover, all while his hands gripped into Lucio’s clothes, trying to find some halt. All the moans and groans made it hard to deny the pleasant feeling of the cold metal against his inside, encouraging Lucio to go further too. 

It was almost painful to have the golden finger removed, though it was only long enough until Lucio had freed his own cock from his pants. He didn’t wait too long until he shoved his length back into the aching asshole, gaining some muffled groans from his lover. “Can’t you be gentle? At least once?” he asked him, glaring at Lucio from below.

“Sorry, that word never worked for me. But maybe if you beg me too I will?”

“Fuck you too!”

“Eh, wrong word.”

And without much consideration of his lover having to adjust to the cock pounding into him, Lucio started to move, delighted laughs falling off his lips. Even though it was a known feeling to his lover, it still was greeted with a mix of pained groans and pleased moans until he could finally come to enjoy it. Needless to say, that was the biggest delight for the count who looked almost proudly at his lover’s flushed and exposed form.

Maybe for the better, maybe for the worse, there were not many more words spoken. Aside from Lucio’s commentary on how good he felt, he was satisfied with keeping his lover’s mouth busy with his own lips and stroking along his length while he pounded into him mercilessly. Even though they both were heated from the previous argument they had, they were practically melting into each other throughout the whole ordeal.

Two men, moaning and gasping against each other’s skin, a rare battle of who-comes-first as Lucio was ready to let go in the last few spurts he did, not disappointing his lover with the intensity and combination of his strokes and pounds. 

Immediately after, he sunk down into his boyfriend’s chest, unbothered with pulling out and even without complaining as he got pushed off by his lover, falling right next to them. “You liked that?” he teased, looking at the glistening liquid on his lover’s stomach. “No,” his lover huffed, deadset on not giving him the confirmation he wanted.

“God, you’re such a liar.”

“Maybe.”


	39. Chapter 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucio & Julian with a s/o who's into dirty talk while having sex

Lucio

“I can’t hear you~”

Lucio’s purr was taunting as he worked your body. Every thrust sent you more into a shivering mess and his metal hand snaking up to your clitoris was pleasantly cold against your hot skin. But all you could do was to bury your face deeper into the pillow, only ever tearing from the fabric to take a gasp of air, followed by a moan.

It was his favorite sound, you moaning under him while he pressed his cock over and over into your pussy. It brought a certain satisfaction to him, even more than spoken praise and he reveled in the knowledge that only he was able to send you into such a state of mind. Even though you’d always hide your face from him, trying to hold back on the moans and gasps since you feared someone would hear, there was nothing greater for him than to make you do the things you were so embarrassed about.

“Come on, I know you want it. Just imagine how good it will feel if you just say it, sweetheart!”

His words were followed by a squeeze of your ass, making you yelp before you swallowed the moan in your throat. He was right, so incredible right and yet it was just so hard to put into words for you. “Y-Yes…” you finally stuttered, propping your torso up onto your elbows to be able to speak freely. A cheeky grin painted itself onto Lucio’s lips though you could only look at him sheepishly from the corner of your eyes.

The smack of his palm against your ass was much more vibrant in your ears now that your face wasn’t covered and Lucio enjoyed the sound of your voice sighing in bliss. “I am listening~” he informed you, his voice an anticipating purr.

“I-I really want you to…” Interrupted by your own gasp you could already feel the embarrassment get back into your head. Almost, you’d have ducked down into the pillow again, but the dissatisfied growl from behind you reminded you of how much Lucio wanted you to say the words. His pounds slowed down significantly, almost to the point where he pulled out of you, leaving you to wiggle up against him in surprise. You felt the tapping of his fingers against your rear, impatiently and unhappy, and you almost felt bad alone from disappointing him.

“Fu-Fuck me, Lucio! Please! I really need you to fuck me ha-”

This time you didn’t get to finish your sentence, as he shoved his full length back into you, relishing in your tightness from the audible stimulation. “Oh, darling~” he purred, his expression turning back into a self-sufficient grin.

“If you wanted me that badly you should have just said so~”

 

Julian

“[Name], you really don’t have to - oh, right there, yes!” Julian could barely hold back the strain from his voice as you held the skin of his neck between your lips, stimulating one of his favorite spots. A pleased sigh rolled off his lips and his hands began to wander your body automatically. He gasped lightly as you let go, kissing along his neck and chin.

“N-No, I want to. I will, I just… need to start.”

Your advances helped you because they made him look upwards, giving you more space to stimulate him and fewer ways that he could look at your flush cheeks. Bringing yourself into this particular situation you had promised yourself to not back out again, but you felt like bailing anyway.

“I-I will… go down a little now,” you managed to say, gulping less because of the words and more because of your own stimulation. Your fingers were a little shakey as you unbuttoned his shirt, bringing your lips down onto his collarbone and chest. Julian responded almost seductively to every kiss and nibble, with both moans rolling off his tongue and gurgles in his throat, paired with the usual sigh every now and then.

Though he only meant to seat himself better in the big chair you two were positioned in, he unintentionally buckled his hips into yours making you yelp from the sudden stimulation. “O-Oh, I am sorry-” he muttered, awkwardly making sure you were still comfortably on the chair. “J-Julian…”

“Yeah?” You took a deep breath before uttering the next words. “Be- Just sit still and be quiet.”

You managed a shy glance into his face, seeing his expression turn red and mush with his eyes shimmering lightly in the candlelight. “Oh my, what are you going to do?” he whispered, the intentional powerplay only visible in the hint of a smile on his lips.

“I will- I mean- No, I definitely will go down on you and suck you off! T-Take your penis into my mouth and l-lick it!”

Once the words had left your mouth you two looked at each other agape for a second before you added a small, “If you’d be okay with that…” There were a trillion thoughts rushing through your mind, most of them screaming at you how much you just embarrassed yourself, with others telling you to abort the mission and hide in the closet for the rest of the night. But the one voice was all that was needed to get you back on track with things.

“Oh, [Name], please…” Julian brought up his hand to cover his mouth and his own embarrassing flush on his face. “I would love that.”


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asra and his s/o getting jealous over each other's interactions

Usually, Asra was an example of a partner. He would offer up everything he could, from fun to affection, to protection and security. There was nothing one could wish for in a relationship with him, and yet, it was all just a well-played game of hide-and-seek. Because underneath the shimmering times, laid hard work and patience.

And his s/o was to test his virtue many times.

Admittedly, he could not help being like he was after all that happened. No matter how every confession and every time she trusted him sent him right over the moon, some disquieting feelings always stayed behind. He really tried to be understanding and trusting, but he would catch himself always having an eye out for whatever could happen around them and their relationship.

The bread seller was one of them. Selasi was one of their oldest friend, both of them so close to him, he was practically their second family. And yet, when the apprentice looked at him with these big, round Bambi-eyes, Asra couldn’t help but wish it was him instead that she looked at like this. It was an ugly, burning sting of jealousy and he did not like it.

Even after all this time, he still feared her leaving. Not because he had any right to tell her what to do, just because he was afraid he could not follow her. For his taste, her laugh was just a little too sweet, the ‘Thank you!’ a little too proper and her gaze lingered for a little too long. And his response was an unmistakable glare at poor Selasi that made the baker back up a little from Asra’s s/o. 

It was an awkward, curt goodbye as the two made their way down the market street, the MC’s eyes sheepishly glancing at his stern expression. “You okay?” she asked, brushing her hand against his arm. With an inward sigh, he turned to look at her, giving her one of his best smiles. “With you? Always!” he replied chipper. It took her a moment to believe, scanning his face for a sign of falsehood, before she accepted his words, linking their arms together.

The sudden appearance of the young soap seller, caught both of them off-guard, the young lady practically jumping into their face. Instinctively, Asra had pulled his s/o behind, holding her hand tightly, but the defensive stance soon disappeared as the seller explained herself, holding out soap to the two of them.

“No, we don’t really need soap, thank y-” Asra tried to mend the situation, smiling at her nicely but waving off the offer, only to get promptly interrupted.

“We have a new kind with raspberries!” There was a second of silence as Asra thought, only for his expression to turn serious as he considered buying something. “Raspberry, huh? Can I see?” Without minding his s/o much, he let go of her hand, following the soap-seller to her stall to inspect the product, letting himself be talked into it.

Well, no matter how much he continuously blamed himself for being overprotective and jealous, he still lacked the perspective of his s/o. It was not a comfortable feeling to have another woman coo around Asra, especially if she had more cleavage than fabric to cover it and got up close to him, just a little too much.

Of course, his s/o knew she was just trying to sell stuff. Especially with Asra’s gaze strictly on the bar of soap in his hand, she was aware that he was not interested in the seller at all. And yet, she couldn’t help but walk up to him, bumping her bum into his from the side to gain his attention. “Let’s go, yeah?” she asked in a whisper, brows furrowed and wrinkles on her forehead.

Asra needed a second to catch on to her uncomfortableness, but he nodded, placing down the bar of soap and telling the disappointed seller that he’d think about it and come back another time. They walked away, arm in arm, with his s/o shooting glares like daggers back over her shoulder as the lady of the soap stand yelled after them to come back soon.

“What’s wrong?” Asra asked after a while of watching his s/o pout. She wasn’t sure if she was more frustrated about the selling methods of the soap lady or her own jealousy, but it didn’t feel good. “Nothing…” she muttered, avoiding his eyes that laid on her. “You can’t just tell me it’s nothing and look like someone stole your bread, [Name],” he remarked, and with a sigh, she realized he was right.

“I just didn’t like that lady from the soap stall…”

“Oh, so you were jealous?” Asra teased, and even without looking at him, she could hear the smirk on his face.

“Not at all!” she pouted, defending herself even though both of them knew he was right. “Oh, [Name]…” Chuckling lightly, Asra leaned towards her, kissing her temples. “You know you are the only one for me.”

Her pout was turned into a giddy blush on her cheeks, even though she still refused to look at him, only squeezing her body closer due to their linked arms. “But I must say…” he sighed, blissfully so. Surprisingly, Asra felt pretty good hearing this from his s/o, and though he maybe should feel bad, he couldn’t help taking a mental note of that.

“It’s kind of exciting when you get jealous too,” he whispered into her ear, giving her a confident wink when she finally looked up at him in surprise.


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asra finding MC after the ritual

A disaster through and through.

That was the only thing that could describe the ritual that had just happened, and Asra still coughed as he walked out from behind the portrait, leaving it open for the people coming after him. Behind him, roaring shrieks where to be heard, though he couldn’t waste the time to look behind and watch what was happening. After all, his instruction had already been planned and it was now Julian’s time to shine.

Though his steps were shaky and his body shifted from side to side, Asra managed to reach the door. His mind and body still remembered where he had to go, even if his consciousness was still blurry. The ritual had gone wrong, fatally so and he did not want to stay to see the end of it. Because for him, the ritual going wrong meant…

He had been successful.

In fact, he could feel it in his chest and in his emotions, that it had succeeded. He had managed to sabotage it and get the bargain he wanted. A wave of relieve washed over him, just knowing he had done it, though he could barely feel the excitement and happiness anymore.

The longer he stood and walked, the more steady he became. His steps became more securely, his pace fastened. Soon he was walking straight, then hurrying, then running. Two steps at once at the stairs, down into the main hallway from Lucio’s wing. A sharp left, the next right. Two doors pass. In less than two minutes he had made his way in a completely different part of the castle.

There were guests standing around, some of them concerned, hushed voices. They paid him no mind, he was just another crazy guest after all. And yes, in his pursuit he was frantic, but no matter who he passed, Asra couldn’t spare a single thought for them. All he was thinking about was them. Like a mantra, his mind repeated the one hope he had.

Please be safe, please be safe, please be safe…

The path from the wing to his room was burned into the very essence of his being. Alone that night he had walked in countless times before the ritual, never passing up a chance to see them. Or, at least what was left of them.

When he ran against the door to his guest room, finally, he regained his composure. Asra didn’t look around to see the people staring at him, who had just loudly run against a door, but he smoothened his outfit, pushing the mask a little further into his face. For a second, a hint of insecurity overcame him. What would he say, what would he do?

Where they still angry? Would they even want to see him? Did he look good? He could feel the sweat pearls running down his temples, finally noticing his ragged breath and tense muscles. Even though he could not see himself, he didn’t look so good, he didn’t feel so good. Asra felt like puking, overcome with disgust and shame.

If - under any circumstances - he were to find nothing but their bones inside of the room, was he any better than a grave robber? A maniac? A necromancer? What if the ritual had gone wrong, but so had his deal? And what would he tell them, that he had gone a path he should have never set foot on? Would they believe it? Would they hate him?

It didn’t matter. His hand on the door handle tightened and he pushed it open after a moment of hesitation, slipping into the room like a snake. It was quiet, so very quiet. The room was only illuminated by the light from one of the window, the other curtains were pulled close. He could have risked their remains shattering into dust from more influences of them.

But it was so quiet, he could only hear his own breath and he feared for the worst as he approached the area of the bed. Success? he heard Faust’s voice, coming from a nearby night table, where he had put her to make sure nothing happened. “I am not sure,” he whispered, his voice dry as was his throat. He reached down to the fabric and for a second he heard the soft crunching of sand.

But there it was. Not hard bone, not only dust twirling up into his lungs. Flesh. Soft, tender flesh. Skin touched his, muscles twitching under the pressure. “[Name]?” he whispered, tears shooting up in his eyes. Panic erupted in his stomach as there was no answer from the being on the bed and Asra scurried to the windows, tearing open the curtain to bring some light into the situation.

And there they were. It was really them, from the birthmark he knew about, to the tip of their hair, everything was exactly like he remembered it to be. Their eyes were closed, chest rising under the blanket he had used to cover the remains.

Asra came closer to their body, dropping to his knees. For the first time in days that he had planned this, he allowed himself to cry. Big, ugly tears streaming down his face, accompanied by big sobs. He didn’t mind Faust as she snaked around his neck, pushing her head against his cheek to comfort him. All he could do was cry out their name over and over, taking their hand in his and rocking back and forth next to their bed.

Next thing he felt was a twitch in their hand, their face turning into a frown as their eyes slowly opened. Immediately, Asra was up, hovering lightly over them. “[Name]! [Name], you’re awake, how are you feeling?” Their eyes came to a completely open, staring at the ceiling before slowly moving towards him, fixating on their face.

A gurgle escaped their mouth as they seemingly tried to speak, but no words could escape them, and Asra inched closer, picking up their torso with the most tenderness he could muster, cradling them in his arms. “It’s okay now, everything will be fine,” he mustered to say as his voice turned back to sobs while the tears streamed down his face once again. “I fixed it, [Name]. Everything is okay…”

He wasn’t sure if they even understood what he was saying, their body hanging lifelessly in his strong hold. But maybe it was more comfort for him than for them, to just hold their still rather cold body in his arms, knowing he had succeded with his plan.

They were back, and this time, no one would take them away from him again.


	42. Chapter 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asra spraining his ankle and his s/o insisting she carries him home

Admittedly, it wasn’t all his fault. The forest was notorious for its rough patches, where you couldn’t see the ground under all the moss and sink in up to your ankles if it was a bad spot. Asra had just been unlucky with exactly such an uneven ground and the little ‘Huh!’ that escaped him as he plummeted down was almost adorable.

Immediately he hissed from the pain, tugging in his leg. Luckily the moss was wet and cold, ideal to use as a cooling pad, but the strain on his foot was done. There was a small whine when he inspected the damage, ankle turning red already, and his brows furrowed thoughtfully. “Well, that was not so cool…” he lamented, glancing up at his s/o sheepishly. A wry smile laid on his lips as he tried to laugh it off, pushing himself off the ground.

But one rash moment later, he fell down again, his s/o rushing to his aid as he accidentally put pressure on the wounded foot. “You can’t walk like this,” she stated while bringing her hands down on the swelling, feeling the warmth it was radiating. “At least not through the forest…”

A sigh escaped his lips. Certainly, this was not what he had imagined by asking her out for a little walk through the green. The two had been incredibly busy lately and all Asra wanted was a bit of alone time with her, something he missed dearly in the hectic days and exhausting nights. “It’s okay, [Name]. I am sure I can-”

Before he could finish his sentence, he was harshly interrupted by her. “No!” she said sternly, standing and putting her hands at her hips. “You always tell me to take care of myself and let my wounds heal!” Asra didn’t need to think about her words long, feeling a bit of embarrassment rush to his cheeks as he realized what she was playing at.

Only a few days before he had made her stay in bed because she was feeling unwell, with exactly these words even. “I guess…” he muttered sheepishly, glancing up at her through his eyelashes. “But how are we going to get out of the forests otherwise?” Thoughtfully, his s/o brought up a finger to her lips, thinking, before snipping it into the air as an idea occurred to her.

“I’ll carry you!”

“Wait, what? [Name], I don’t think that’s a good ide-”

But before he could even finish, she had squatted down next to him, prepping his knees over her one arm and the other around his back. “Come one, Asra! Put your hand over my shoulder!” Giving her an unbelieving glance, Asra caught her eyes in his, seeing the sheer determination she was showing. With a slow nod and hesitant movements, he placed his arm around her neck.

Going up probably was the worst. Her body shivered under the strain but eventually, she came to a full stand, letting out her breath that she had held back. He was close to bailing out of it, making her set him down again, feeling the embarrassment of having to put her through such a thing. But much to his surprise, she caught herself fast, marching through the forest with him in her arms, like a real hero.

For a few minutes, it was silent. Asra didn’t want to break her concentration, ultimately feeling bad she had to carry him in the first place. But once they were back on a better path - thanks to Muriel’s charms that Asra knew how to read - it came as it had to, and they stopped at a large tree trunk, his s/o finally letting him down, before flopping to the ground next to him, breathing heavily.

“I think from here on, I can walk, [Name],” Asra remarked, looking down the steady mud path. His ankle still hurt and the burning was even there when there was no strain on him, but he couldn’t possibly let her carry him any more than this. “Are you sure?” she asked, worry in her gaze as she looked up at him. “If only we had magic, we could do something about it…”

Silence fell over them, the words rummaging through their mind. “Wait,” they mumbled simultaneously. Their eyes shot up to each other in a moment of surprise. “[Name], we are magicians,” Asra whispered, neither of them even blinking. Before long, both of them fell into small giggles before erupting into loud laughter. “And idiots apparently!” she remarked, reaching out her hands to heal his ankle, to which Asra gladly and thankfully complied, tugging off his pants so that she could reach it better.


End file.
